


Trials of the Kaneki family

by tatsu361



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Action, Adventure, Because of Reasons, Gen, family au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-12
Updated: 2016-01-17
Packaged: 2018-04-08 22:27:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 71,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4323174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tatsu361/pseuds/tatsu361
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A strange idea I had. based on the idea Ken, shiro, and Kuro being family members. Just my own little fan idea that I decided to play around with. I hope you like it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. a hard night

**Author's Note:**

> Hello. This is my first try at this since i usually just mess around in universes of my own making. Still this wouldnt leave my head after I read the fanfic impulse (on fanfiction though it may also be here); which weirdly enough focuses on Hide and doesnt even have kuro and shiro yet.
> 
> afterwards I was talking with Beck4ever1996 and among other things, started fleshing out this story even more.
> 
> So I decided to just say screw it and publish this. I hope that at least a few people find this entertaining. well here you go.
> 
> edited and new chapters.

Late night in the 13th ward of Tokyo, a popular club was under attack. This brazen attack would leave many unfortunate partiers dead and the CCG seething with righteous rage after the perpetrators escaped before their forces could take control of the site. The commander at the scene proclaimed that they would not rest till they brought righteous justice to the enemy of man and freed this ward from the terror called ghouls.

* * *

Meanwhile in just another nondescript small apartment in the 13th ward three figures were curled together in the one bed the apartment held. Of them two were female; smaller and younger looking than the third. Both looked about the age of a high schooler and looked remarkably similar to each other except their hair color; one with white hair the other with a dark black hue. For the most part they looked the part of a cute and frail Japanese stereotypical high school aged girl. But a more keen observation would reveal a well-toned musculature that even professionals would envy that hinted at their heritage. Fidgeting a bit, as an uncomfortable scene occurred in her dreams, the black haired one curled closer to the third figure with a troubled moan. Now this figure was undeniably male with his nude and well chiseled chest and abdomen providing a strong defensive wall for the other two now in their dreamscapes. Slight scars here and there seemed to be the only blemishes on his body. His facial features betrayed his family relation to the other two. As if by a universal prank, the male had somehow been given hair that matched the color of both his sisters. White hair was dominant at the tips of it while the closer it got to the crown of his head, the darker black it became. His powerful arms encircled the younger girls in a comforting, defensive way. Whether due to the young one's movements earlier or from sensing the foreboding events from the club, the male was awoken. He laid there for a few minutes as the fog of sleep cleared before smiling and stroking the face of the white haired girl causing her sleeping face to stupidly grin.

With practice ease, the young man slipped out of the bed with only small sounds of protest from his sleeping sisters. He silently snuck into the kitchen; thanking his superior night vision for not needing to turn on the lights and awake his charges. Once there he opened up a cabinet filled with all types of coffee and grabbed one of the cans of boss coffee. As he sipped it though he could not shake the feeling that something was off. Something in the air felt heavy. Like something dangerous was approaching; a feeling he had learned to appreciate many times over.

In order to get to the bottom of this, the man pulled out his phone. While using it he idly thought about the heated arguments that had come between him and the twins over why he got one and they didn't. Honestly he really didn't need it either. Granted it was convenient but he only really used it to be in contact for work and check the news occasionally. He was still miffed about the monthly bill he had to pay from their limited family funds. After unlocking it, the young man first checked his calls and emails and saw nothing important. Unfortunately when he opened it up to the news feed he subscribed to, he came across some unpleasant information. The news feed was particularly good at reporting on ghoul related articles and the top headline right now was about the current crisis with the club titled  _Attack by Binge Eater and Jason in progress, CCG currently storming site._ A flurry of emotions went through the young man as his grip tightened on his coffee till the can started to dent in his grip. "Damn it Rize," he groaned quietly. Why did she have to go this far? Seriously that woman needed to learn self-control one of these days. There was no way the Doves would let this down.

No, this was like declaring war on the Doves and they would be coming in force with total pacification of the ward as their goal. The thought of more doves further ruined the male's mood. They were never a pleasant topic. He turned to one of the few truly personal effects in the room; a picture of five smiling people closely posed together in a park. So engrossed in his memories that he didn't notice the smaller figure who poked her head sleepily out the bedroom door and asked, "Oniichan is everything ok?" The surprise caused him to jump in shock before regaining his composure. Taking a deep breath and turning back his sole kakugan back to a normal eye, he turned face his sister with a comforting smile. "Nothing Kuro. Just needed to check on something for work." Putting away his phone and deciding he'd deal with all of this in the morning, Kaneki Ken chugged the last of his coffee before coming back to the bed; rubbing Kuro on the top of her head as he walked past her as she closed the door for the night.

* * *

**Omake:**

**Kuro: Hey Oniichan**

**Kaneki: Yeah Kuro?**

**Kuro: Did you know that the author, when writing the part in the bed, felt a little uncomfortable about it? Thought it sounded a little too much like a scene out of a porn doujin.**

**Kaneki: *Shudders* Lets never speak of this again.**

**Shiro: I'd totes read that doujin!**

**Kuro: …..**

**Kanek: … That's it no more internet for you.**


	2. Chapter 2

"Impossible," a stuned and completely white haired Kaneki croaked as another ghoul fell. It was only one man. Even if he was a dove, to be able to take on some many ghouls at once; including at least one S class, and even come out at the end with barely even a rip in his clothes; let alone a wound was just too insane. As Kaneki tried to figure out something, anything to survive this, one of the "dead" ghouls next to him suddenly grabbed him and forced Kaneki to face it only for Kaneki to see not the face of the deceased ghoul, but the blood covered image of his father staring at him with a disturbingly calm face. Kaneki's mind froze. ' _What is this?'_  ran through his mind over and over but no answer came. There was no way his father could be here! After all he died almost five years ago! What in the world is going on?! The apparition just calmly stated, "Why are you here? Are you really going to go off and die and abandon your sisters? Didn't you promise me you'd protect them?" "And after you're gone they will suffer. It will all be your fault. Just like with us. Wasn't it your fault that we had to die?" a second voice added after his father stopped talking. Kaneki slowly twisted his head and from there watched as one of the dead female ghouls transformed into his mother. Kaneki wanted to close them out. Cover his ears and shut his eyes or use all his training to blow these…. things away. But he couldn't for some reason. He could only stand there and listen and cry; he couldn't even offer up an apology. "If you hadn't been born," the mother apparition continued in that same empty tone, "then your sisters, your father, me, none of us would have to had to suffer at all. It's all your fault." That last line continued to reverberate in his head over and over as the glasses man stepped in front of him with his blood covered sword. He stepped forward and moved to impale Kaneki on the tip of his blade. The Blade met flesh and began to rip it asunder.

Kaneki shot up from the bed. His body covered in sweat and his breath ragged. As he slowly realized it was a dream, he started to calm down. Flopping down on the bed again, he tried to wrangle his erratic heart beat and heavy breathing back under control. It had been while since he'd had a dream like that.  _'Must be the whole club incident thing. Bringing back old fears again.'_ Thought Kaneki. Hearing the twins in the living room with the TV on, he decided that now was as good a time as any to talk to them about the current situation, Kaneki grabbed a shirt and went to the living room as he put it on.

When he came out the TV was currently showing news footage of the site of last night's incident. The news anchor was assuring viewers that the CCG would handle the threat. The twins watched it while eating their lunch. "Auntie Rize was busy last night," Shiro said between bites. Kaneki grimaced and corrected her. "Alleged aunt." Kaneki still had reservations on her claim despite her knowledge of their father and their similar Kagunes. Though he couldn't disprove her as they had not been that close to either of their parents' families beforehand. Plus she, got along surprisingly well with the twins. Thanks to that Kaneki had to constantly watch to make sure they didn't pick up any of Rize's bad habits. In the end she just used them as the occasional place to crash when in their neighborhood and for the some occasional companionship. She also keeps pushing him to go out with her as a hunting buddy every so often.  _'Probably trying to reform me into a "proper ghoul". Last time that glutton was here, she forced me to listen to her as she went on for nearly an hour on how unhealthy it was to scavenge,'_ lamented Kaneki.

Being Kaneki's day off, thankfully meant he could use it to get a handle on the current situation of the ward instead. Deciding they needed to talk first, Kaneki went to Kuro and grabbed the TV remote as well as a sizable chunk of meat off her plate. He ignored her sounds of protest as he popped the piece in his mouth and then muted the TV. Next he stood before the twins and cleared his throat. "Now as you can both see things are a bit hectic due to a certain someone right?" Both of the twins nodded. "Ok, so as you can guess this means things are gonna get really dangerous in the near future. So, first I'm going to go out there and see what I can find out about the things and what response the CCG is currently pulling. Now second, you two are not to leave the apartment at all. Lock the door after I'm gone and do not open the door for anyone understand?" This time Kaneki's statements were meant with squeaks of outrage. "But you can't do that! We are grown adults and can take care of ourselves!" Shouted Kuro. "Yeah," Shiro whined behind her. "We were going to see Matoi's new dog this afternoon." "Sorry but it's just too dangerous out there. And as your guardian I have every right to do so," Kaneki fired back. Suddenly Kuro screamed, "I can't believe you're this upset just because of one ghoul attack! You're just over reacting!" Thankful she made it sound to the neighbors like he was afraid of ghouls, Kaneki yelled back, "Of course I am! Do you even realize what they (Doves) will do to you if they catch you out there!? They will rip even cute young girls like you two to shreds if they catch you! Now you are going to listen to me and stay home is that understood?!" "Ugh this is so unfair!" Kuro screamed before stomping off to the bedroom. Shiro followed her and stuck her tongue out at their older brother before slamming the door shut. The only man in the family sighed. "Raising two girls in their rebellious phase is hard," he stated to the empty room.

* * *

The rest of the day was not that bad for the young half ghoul. He traveled around the ward as he searched for any valuable intelligence on the goings on in the ward. He talked with some but mostly just listened; using his superior senses to listen in on the conversations around him. Most of it was unfortunately junk. Like some forty old woman bragging about an affair with a younger man or how delicious some bakeries cakes were. Still some of it proved valuable. He was able to take note of a couple people to watch out for who talked about starting some neighborhood watch thing to locate the local ghouls. A ghoul he met passed him a warning about a couple abandoned buildings that were no longer safe hide outs. The CCG was currently watching them like some sort of big mouse trap, and sadly how one of the best scavenging spots in the ward had been located and locked down by the Doves. That part in particular scared Kaneki. Perhaps he should stock up on food before things get worse.

Next Kaneki stopped by the local grocery store. He listened in while picking up some groceries to use as camouflage with the neighbors. And while he didn't get much good information that there, one of the cashiers that knew him by name did give him some food for thought by passing him a can of pepper spray for defense. As he headed to his last stop of the day, he had been tossing around the question of if pepper spray would actually be effective against ghouls in his mind. It was a surprisingly interesting question. He needed to test out later. But for now he had to deal with his last stop; the CCG branch office for the ward. Specifically he wanted to look at the bulletin board outside the building as it had been surprisingly helpful in helping him know what the Doves were up to before. He pulled out an apple as he got closer and began to eat it, in order to further blend in. Granted it tasted like wet chalk but he could stomach it with only some light food poisoning.

As he got closer he noticed a large crowd and some cameras outside surrounding a podium. While curious, Kaneki decided to get what he came here done first before investigating further. The bulletin board proved its use once again. First he noticed new public notices that gave him a rough idea of how many Doves would move in and how they'd work to "cleanse" the ward. He also noticed the reports on recent ghoul takedowns and a couple of posters with new information on high level ghouls in the area. In one corner he noticed his own as well those of his sisters' wanted posters. They had been placed next to Rize's as it seemed the Doves had reasoned that the Binge Eater was connected to their pact and were hunting them all as a group now. Still one particular thing upset him; their ratings. Being connected to the Binge Eater alone had raised them all too S class and that scared Kaneki. The higher rating would do nothing more than attract glory seekers of both the human and ghoul variety who'd could be major threats. Not to mention his own rating had recently jumped to SS which meant that the CCG was likely gunning for him and one misstep would be all it would take for him to find himself swarmed by doves.

Turning to the weird podium again, Kaneki realized it was some kind of press rally as some big shot got behind the podium and began to ramble on about the same old same old. About justice and fighting the enemy of all mankind. However it took every fiber of Kaneki's being not to freak out when the man introduced who would lead the doves' cleanup of the ward. It was the same monster who he had barely escaped from all those years ago. The same one from his dream. He didn't say much but the words this time had weight. And Kaneki swore that as the man's eyes went over the crowd, they had locked on his and somehow this… thing knew what he was. While he wanted to run off as fast as possible and escape with his sisters, Kaneki instead calmly bit into his apple one last time and slowly made his way back home. Forget waiting it out. With that beast here there was no way this ward would ever be safe for his sisters. They needed to leave as soon as possible.

* * *

 

Omake:

Sighing Kaneki knocked on the door one more time. "Come on you two let me in. I forgot my keys when I left." "We can't," Shiro calmly replied. "Yeah remember you said do not open the door for anyone and that includes you," Kaneki could swear he could see Kuro's mischievous smirk as she said that. He knocked on the door again. "You know I didn't mean that so open it. Please. This is embarrassing." Kaneki finally got in half an hour later with help of the landlord.


	3. a gate, a cafe, and auntie rize

For the hundredth time today Kaneki asked himself what was with humans and celebrating with food. It was all their fault that now, instead of finishing preparations to leave, he and twins were now suffering the effects of the poison humans call food. The first assault was from his work companions. After telling them his plans to leave, they decided to take him out for farewell drinks. Thankfully, he was just under the legal age so he avoided having the urine scented beer. But he still had to suffer through the motor oil they called soda while forcing down greasy gyoza and grassy edamame. Next the twins were pushed into going to some arcade pizza place by their friends while Kaneki, luckily, had to skip out as he was busy with the moving preparations. Though the twins got their revenge when one of them "accidently" threw up all over his favorite pillow before she could get to the toilet. The greatest crucible however was due to their neighbors. Rather than doing something nice like bowling or some friendly card games, the Kanekis' neighbors instead decided to throw a potluck dinner. It took everything he had to swallow it all down. He even was forced to eat some of the twins' food as they were still suffering from the aftereffects of the pizza. He was still sick, almost a full day later. They all finally felt well enough to head out late that afternoon. Most of their belongings had already been sent ahead to the new apartment he'd rented leaving them each with only one bag each, a nondescript looking package holding a couple weeks supply of food, and couple of books to read in case of a delay in route. After one final check to make certain they had not left anything behind, Kaneki locked up and handed the key to the land lord.

* * *

It did not take them long to reach the train station. Ken was feeling extremely nervous now. They were so close but that just made him feel even more threatened that they would be discovered. Maybe someone would notice that he, Kuro, and Shiro were still not feeling well and figure out the true cause instead of just assuming allergies or a small cold. Then he noticed them. There were several doves all around. The site of their silver briefcases bringing a chill to his bones. He tightened his grip on the bag that held their reserve meat and locked eyes with Kuro and Shiro who both got the message. ' _Don't anything stupid that would bring attention to us'_. They bought their tickets and were heading for the right track when a hand landed on Shiro's shoulder.

Shiro jumped a bit and Kuro turned to yell at whoever it was till she went pale. Kaneki felt ever muscle in his body tighten as he faced the hand's owner. The suitcase immediately identified the man as a dove. Though rather than a clean cut stoic looking officer, the man looked more like someone from an asylum with his slightly hunched back, creepy eyes and long white-gray hair. Somehow this made him look even scarier to the trio of half ghouls. "Excuse me miss, I'm inspector Mado of the CCG. As you may know, we are currently cleansing this ward so I hope it would not be too much trouble for you to answer a few questions for me." Something screamed in the back of Ken's mind to just freak out and run now. Like a half forgotten memory that warned him that this particular dove was truly bad news. Instead, Kaneki spoke up rubbing his chin, "Sorry, inspector, while I wish we could be of some help but were late as is. So we need to catch the next train. It'll be here in a couple minutes actually." The man grinned in response; making his face look more deranged. "I see. That's too bad. But perhaps, you could do one other thing for me though,"

The inspector started leading Shiro to some weird metal detector looking thing, "Could you just walk through this gate please?" Shiro looked to her older brother, who remained calm on the outside. But on the inside, Kaneki was freaking out. He didn't know exactly what that thing was, but if it belonged to the investigators then it couldn't be good. Heartbeats increased as the young girl was lead closer and closer to the gate. As she reached it, Kaneki and Kuro both subtly got ready if they had to fight or run. Shiro walked through the gate and nothing happened. The deflating response of the investigator wasn't missed by Kaneki. The train arrived then and the three Kaneki siblings quickly got on. The investigator continued to watch them leave with a puzzled expression. Another investigator approached him from behind. "Is something wrong Mado?" "No, Amon-kun. Nothing at all. Just seems that I was mistaken. Oh well, back to work then." "Yes sir," Amon acknowledged. Mado's thoughts remained on those three siblings. Something about them did not sit right with him. Perhaps he'd meet them again.

* * *

Ken sighed as he walked with his head down. The twins followed close behind. It had been a couple weeks since they had settled here and unfortunately he had failed once again to find a job. He figured they had the funds to last for at least another month. The apartment being the major drain on their finances. It was a nice one, quite larger and now the twins were able to have their own bedroom rather than share one with their brother. It even came with nice furniture including plenty of book cases for their collection of books. Unfortunately, this translated into the place being over double the cost of their old one. Still that was not the biggest worry Ken had. No the biggest one was food. They had eaten through almost all they had brought with them. And being busy unpacking and looking for a job, none of them had had any time to scope out any good places to scavenge or even hunt. There was also the issue that if he did resort to hunting he might end up stepping in the territory claimed by some local bigshot. He didn't think it would be that much of a threat. But it would probably be a bad idea to get on the bad side of the local ghouls. That reminded him of another thing he'd been putting off. Not only had he not mingled with the locals he also still had not introduced himself and the girls to boss of the ward. _'What if they don't accept them? Could they be chased out of the ward?'_ Ken was knocked out of his depressing thoughts by Kuro slapping on the back. "Cheer up bro. I'm sure you'll get the next one. But for now how about some coffee?" Kaneki smiled back and ruffled her hair. "Yeah you're right. Let's take a break."

They found a nice looking coffee shop about a block down the road; Anteiku. Ken felt that he had heard that name somewhere before. Deciding it was not that important, Ken opened the door and let his sisters in. Inside, he detected the obvious sent of ghouls; a lot of them. Due to the deluded nature of their blood, the siblings' senses did not quite reach the level of a full-fledged ghoul but they were still quite powerful. While they couldn't tell exactly who was and who was not a ghoul here, the strength of the scent told them that this was a major hub for those not human.

They sat at a table near the window. Kuro and Shiro took to watching the crowds walking by as Ken once again pulled up the local wanted ads on his phone. The waitress came by and Kaneki looked up from his phone and ordered three black coffees. Ken thought she looked pretty good though a bit young. Her looks gave her both a cute and tomboyish style to her. "Ah, what's this? You're looking a little flushed there big bro. Are you perhaps a bit smitten with our waitress?" Kuro asked. Her face twisted into a mischievous smirk. "Haah!? As if. It's just polite to look her in the eyes when making an order. It's not like I thought she was cute," the male ghoul shot back. This caused the two younger siblings to giggle as they started mockingly sing, "Big bro has a crush" over and over despite ken trying to stop them. So caught up in their little game were they that they did not notice the new entrant to the café till they heard a familiar voice. "Kaneki-kun? And the twins too. Ma, what a pleasant surprise." Kaneki groaned while the twins both jumped up and call out, "Auntie Rize!" Suddenly Ken felt at least half of the eyes in the shop lock onto their table. Many of those stares were obviously not friendly. Groaning again, he laid his head on the table.  _'What kinda trouble have been causing here for us to get that kind of attention from just being close to you, you glutton'_ Ken wondered. Rize came over and sat next to Ken. "Oh, Come on now, is that any way to act meeting me for the first time in over a month. You almost make a girl feel unwanted." Before he could answer her, the waitress came with their coffee. Ken noticed the light scowl she had as she saw the new person at the table. She quickly placed their drinks on the table and turned to leave. "Touka-chan, would be so kind as to bring me a cup too?" Rize asked. Touka just gave an accenting grunt and walked back to the kitchen. "Now," Rize turned to Ken and asked, "why is my lovely little family so far from home hmm?" Ken took a minute to word it to not tip off any of the nearby humans before answering, "Well we moved. After all that happened, the old place was no longer safe. I think you know who is to blame for that though. Good news is we have a place to stay. Bad news though, I can't seem to find any work and our funds and such are starting to run dry." "Hahaha, sorry about that things just got out of hand that time. So to make it up to you how I about I introduce you to a nice place. I promise you they can help you with all your troubles," replied Rize. "Oh and just where is this amazing job of yours?" he asked. Rize simply grinned. Touka returned again. This time she slammed the cup down as hard as possibly without spilling the contents and immediately turned to leave only for Rize to call to her once again. "Oh Touka-chan. One more thing. We need the manager. Is he in?" Touka turned around. "Hah!? Do you not realize how much of a pain you've been for everyone here? And now you even want to bother Yoshimura. Why would you need him anyway?" "Now, now Touka. You should watch that temper of yours. One of these days it'll get you in a lot of trouble. As for why I need to speak with him well," Rize wrapped her arm around Ken's neck and pulled forward to bring the young waitress's attention to the only male at the table. "I need to ask him about a job for my cute little nephew."

Ken, "Eh?!"

Touka, "Eh?!"

Kuro, "Yay! Big bro finally a job!"

Shiro, "Now we won't have to worry about sleeping on the streets."

* * *

Ken wasn't sure how things had ended up this way. He'd only stopped for coffee. So why was he now in front of the café's manager? Things started to get out of control when Rize decided to help solve the Kaneki family's current predicament. First Touka got agitated. He was actually impressed by the fury this teenage girl could bring to bear. Thankfully, before it got to the point of the physical blows, the other workers intervened and ushered them into the back. The scents here revealed to him that a good many, if not all of the workers here were ghouls. "Ah, so you noticed?" Rize stated. "Welcome to Anteiku, the people in charge of the entire ward. Quite the interesting setup they have here huh?" Ken could only nod back at her. The twins started to look around excitedly like this was some sort of grand adventure.

They were ushered into a meeting room of sorts where they were seated across from a rather stoic man. In the end, Ken was pushed into telling him about basically everything. He did make certain not to give any information on where they lived or their true nature though. The next person to enter was introduced as the manager. Ken could tell this man was not to be trifled with. Despite his jovial disposition, he carried himself with an air of strength. His age alone, was an indicator of his abilities. Even Rize seemed a little more reserved in his presence. The man walked over to the window. Staring out it for a minute, before he began, "So if I'm to understand everything, Kaneki-san, you and your sisters are related to Rize and while you were able to move here successfully, finding a job has been a much harder then you expected right?" Ken acknowledged the man's words. "Hmmm well," he continued, "I suppose we could use a few new staff members. But, in return, I do have one request." Kaneki furrowed his. "And that would be?" he asked. Calmly he answered, "Nothing too difficult I hope. I just wanted you to tell me a little about your parents, is all. It's not often that one runs to half ghouls. I am curious as to how your parents came to be together." The Kanekis were shocked. He knew their secret. But how? Ken turned to Rize. Holding her hands up defensively, Rize shot out, "Hey. I didn't say anything about it. So don't look at me." The man started laughing lightly. Ken turned back to him. The man assured them, "Now, now Kaneki. No need to worry. I assure you I mean you no harm. Though I can understand your concern about your secret coming out. Not everyone would be as understanding as we are. But, you can trust us, all of us, here at Anteiku. I promise you, we will keep your secret safe. Now do we have a deal?" Ken began to think things over.  _'It's true that this is a good deal. Probably better than anything else I could get. But still, is the manager really trustworthy? I mean how did he figure out that we're half ghouls? If this turns out bad, it could put the girls in danger. And it'd be all my fault again.'_ Ken then felt someone punch his arm hard. He looked up and saw Rize roll her eyes at him.  _'Well, apparently Rize thinks its ok. She hasn't betrayed us before; intentionally."_  Ken took a deep breath and shook the manager's hand. "Fine you've got yourself a deal."

* * *

Omake:

"Yes!" "No!" "Yes!" "No!" "Yes!" "No!" Such was the latest Kaneki sibling fight. The others in the room all trying their best to ignore it but most were now losing what little patience they had had for petulant tantrums.

Touka slammed her hands down. "Enough of this! I can't believe that you guys were able to just shout yes and no back and forth for a full half hour! Look, Ken I get why you want to say no but just let them do it! Please so we can just get this over with!" "But…" Touka let out a feral growl; quickly shutting up the young man before he could finish. "Fuck it! How about you just flip a coin or use rock paper scissors to figure this out so we can finally end this!"

So the first and possibly last Kaneki-Anteiku Rock Paper Scissors cup commenced.

Winners – Shrio and Kuro

The Prize – the right to work with their brother at Anteiku.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As for how Yoshimura just knew they were half ghouls. I went with the idea that halfghouls smell different due to characters like Shuu and Hinami and well I expect Yoshimura probably has experience with said halfghoul scent. Also I just like making him look awesome for some reason.
> 
> Thanks for reading comments and ideas welcome.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> first new chapter here in months

Amon and Mado were currently in the CCG's 13th ward branch office. They had returned from a successful raid. Mado already envisioning the new quinques he could have from their fresh harvest of ghoul flesh. Amon was just pleased with the elimination of more ghouls; especially now. The unfortunate truth for the investigators was that their cleanup of the ward was beginning to stall. The CCG was now about 52% behind its projected ghoul extermination rate in the operation.

In the beginning, things had gone well. The doves were eliminating ghouls daily. Their own causalities had been low. The worst lost only being the rc gates placed at the train stations. Even that was considered somewhat successful as at least half of the attacking ghouls were taken down before they destroyed the gates. However, as the months rolled on the ghouls that remained in the ward began to adapt to the new situation. Now the CCG was seeing organized movements and counter attacks. There was no concrete information on who was taking charge either.

And probably the biggest disgrace. They had let the binge eater and its ilk escape. None of the defeated ghouls matched the evidence left from the scenes of any of their attacks. As for where the beast had escaped to, the 20th ward seemed most likely. They had had a recent increase in attacks there and many of the attacks showed similarities to those of the binge eater. There had also been one confirmed sighting of the eyepatch ghoul; ally of the binge eater. Frustrated, Amon began to once again review the case files they had of their primary targets; hoping to discover some unseen clue in them. But nothing came to him. Amon threw the records down on his desk. Even after months of combing through every little clue, from public medical records to housing records, nothing had brought them any closer.

Any further musings were ceased as Amon's partner came back from the meeting with the local office's commander. "You should calm down Amon. When you're agitated it's easier to make foolish mistakes." "Sorry Mado. But I can't help but think I must have missed something. To allow these things on to remain free even for even one more day. It's infuriating!" Mado tried to give a comforting smile.

"I can understand your feelings Amon," he started. "But there is likely nothing more you can do for now. And you should be proud of what you have done. Especially spotting that connection between our quarry and that old case file. Still even if 361, 471, and 472 are the same spawn from that case it's been years so that trail is too cold follow too. And don't forget that these are quite the clever ghouls. They used the panic to mix in with all the civilians who fled to safer wards so that we can't pin them down from that either. Still it's only a matter of time. One mistake on their part and we win. Just relax and prepare for that chance Amon." Amon appreciated his superior's words. They had helped him relax a bit. Wanting to change the topic, Amon asked, "What happened in the meeting?" Mado casually answered him, "Nothing much we just got reassigned is all." And thus, Amon's agitation rose again. "What!? But why?! We're needed here. Especially after they reassigned Arima back to the 24th! If we leave now then who will protect the civilians?!" Mado rose a hand to stop his partner's rants. "Now now Amon. Just because things are going less than perfect here, does not give us the right to ignore the other wards. Decisions like that are what allow these scum time to bunker down and breed. If we only focus on this ward, the infestation will spread. There are others who will take our place and continue bringing justice down upon the vermin here. Besides trust me you'll be more than happy with this mission. Our target is target 696. We do have a specific suspect for this one though nothing concrete enough to move on." Amon was confused. "And why should I be excited about being on this no name case?" Mado simply laughed and answered, "No Amon my boy, it's not the who but the where that's important. We are being sent to the twentieth ward. And while 696 is still our main job, we have been given permission to move on any other ghoul we locate and are free to move as we wish." Slowly the words of his superior sunk in for Amon."Eyepatch," He simply stated. Mado's grin slowly twisted into one of pure malice. "I wonder what kind of face our dear Eyepatch-kun would make if I dismembered his two she-bitches in front of him."

* * *

These last few months had been some of the best of Ken Kaneki's life since before his parents' deaths. He had a nice job, easy and safe access to plenty of meat, a decent apartment, and just peace in general. He was even happy about the Shiro and Kuro getting jobs as well; though he would never admit that to them. It'd allowed him to keep tabs on them and having their own paychecks meant they'd no longer need to pester him for money. They had even gotten their own phones and had were now more adept at using them then Kaneki was with his own.

He was even now attending a real university. Yoshimura had added that to his side of the job offer; suspiciously after Ken had already agreed to it. He wanted Ken to start college and the twins to enter a local high school. He even provided the money and paperwork necessary. Despite feeling awkward about accepting such hospitality, Ken found this particular experience enjoyable; at least more than his sisters did. Despite, not having any previous schooling, Ken had been able to do quite well. He had even done well enough to opt out of some general ed courses. Having to be smart to survive in his old life had apparently paid off. Plus it helped to have reading as a hobby. He had even made a friend; somehow.

At first Ken did not know what to do. This human, Hideyoshi Nagachika, Had entered in the same year as the young Anteiku waiter. Somehow, despite Ken's early attempts to escape from the human, Hide had stuck close to Ken and over the months worn down the man's defenses till he had captured the title of Ken Kaneki's best friend. Ken had found the boy strangely pleasing in a way. He had this way of just making any place a bit brighter and his energy kind of rubbed off on you. It was also plus that it seemed to irk Rize whenever she saw the two of them together.

Currently, the only ones working at Anteiku were Ken, Irimi, and Koma. Yoshimura was here to but seemed to be just watching over things. Shiro, Kuro, and Touka were all still at school. Koma was manning the counter as Ken and Irima took orders. As Ken handed him his latest orders, Koma teased Kaneki by asking, "So Mr. Heartbreaker, how's the fan club?" Ken sighed at this. Granted Koma was a nice guy and had helped Ken with a lot. . But the man was someone the young half ghoul could never take seriously for obvious reasons. He couldn't see the this man as the "great Devil Ape" he always spoke about. While he did provide a good laugh every now and then, there were also times Ken wanted to smack the man. As for his sisters. Well they simple saw Koma as that boring but useful fat guy. "Please Koma. I do not have a fan club. I've never been one of the popular kids."

…. "So how many asked for your phone number today then."

….. "Five."

"So far."

"Okay let's stop talking about this! Irimi how are you doing?" the embarrassed waiter asked to change the topic. . To Ken, Irimi was the one he respect far more. She had a powerful older sister vibe that just seemed to relax the Kanekis. Not to mention she had already tamed the twins. Anyone who could gain their adorations that fast was a force to be reckoned with In Ken's book. The only woman smiled; handing Koma her orders. "Not too bad. And you should feel proud Ken. Turns out the girls here must love bad boys."  
"Argh!"

A refined laugh brought everyone's attention to the manager. . Yoshimura was seaming more and more like a father figure to Ken. He took care of his workers like one. Not to mention the Kaneki family found itself relying on the older ghoul more and more. After all it was all thanks to this man that they now had so much now. And in return he had only really had to entertain the old man's questions on his parents. Well that and stay out of trouble. And go to college. And do a good job at Anteiku. Okay, maybe he had to do a lot of things but Ken felt all of this was worth it. Every now and then He would speak with Ken. Quite a few times the talks turned to his parents. How his mom had met his dad while she was an aspiring but failing author. How they had started dating. How, at least according to his mother, terrible his father had been at hiding his ghoul nature. She even teased him about how she had noticed from day one, that there was something weird about him. In fact she had been the one to teach the Kaneki children the finer points of looking human. They both had been stay at home parents. The family income came from the matriarch of the family. Shortly after meeting her future husband she began a successful career as an author of books with the themes of forbidden love. However he had always stopped just short of what happened when their happy family was ripped apart. The memories still too painful to get into. "Now now, you two. Don't be too mean to young Ken here. It's not his fault that he's so irresistible right?"

Having enough, Ken just took the finished orders and went back to serving the customers.

Ken had notice an easy way to tell the ghouls from human customers during his time working here. The ghouls still seemed to see him just as guilty by association with Rize. From what he'd been told by his coworkers, the locals did have some good reasons to hate his self-declared aunt. Still annoying when they snubbed him and his sisters for it too. He already had a couple on his list of people to deal with for how they treated Kuro and Shiro. No one acts like a jerk to his sisters! So when he came to take orders, the ghoul customers always seemed to be nervous around him; rarely making eye contact. Or would be rather frank with him. Meanwhile most humans seemed quite friendly. Quite a few of them had even gotten to a first name basis with Ken. In fact, in one day Ken had gotten more than a dozen phone numbers or people asking for his own. This same genial acceptance also was given to the twins. The old people especially seemed to like them. They always ended up with several pieces of human candy. Plus, Ken had lost count of how many times he had to scare away the hormonal irritants known as high school boys away from his precious sisters.

Ken passed by Yomo as he continued working. Yomo was at a table in the back studying something; papers spread across the table. While he scared Kuro and Shiro a bit, to ken, Yomo was well Yomo. He was always just there when necessary and seemed to be quite talented at whatever he does. Ken had already been sent with him a few times to procure fresh meat. It also turned out that they had met before. Though Ken had forgotten about it at first, they had both met at the Itori's place on one of the rare times Ken went there for information.

Midafternoon the café was filled to near capacity. The door opened again but thankfully the ones who entered were Kuro, Shiro, and Touka. They also brought Rize, Hide, and Yoriko. Ken couldn't help but smile at the twins' obvious discomfort around the human girl of the group. They called her the poison master. Not that he didn't understand why they were afraid of the small, baby animal like human female. The elder Kaneki still felt nauseous whenever he thought back to those cinnamon cookies she had given him when she introduced herself. She had even waited for him to eat a few of them and give his "honest opinions on them". Somehow, the little human had gotten it into her head that the vile, tongue melting concoction humans called cinnamon was his a favorite of his. He prayed that for once she had forgotten about him. He'd rather not have Touka force feed him a pastry again any time soon. For some reason the younger firecracker, had included the entire Kaneki family in her self-imposed torture.

Ken continued to watch the group as he handed out coffee and sandwiches to customers. Three of them went into the back to change for their shifts. The last high school student left soon after while the university student sat down at a table, the other side of the room from Ken. The last person came straight for him though. Rize hugged Ken. "Oh, you don't know how happy I am to see you. I've been stuck with your friend and that Yoshi-girl for the last several blocks. Especially that boy. He just makes me feel uncomfortable." She turned back and watched the boy for a few seconds before turning back to Ken with a pleading look. After checking to make certain no human would hear him, Ken quietly scolded his aunt with, "No, you cannot eat him." Rize pouted, "Just a bite. I'm certain he wouldn't miss an arm or that tongue of his." Her conversation partner just started laughing. "You sound like a little kid. Your probably just feeling a bit antsy is all. You haven't had a good work out recently have you? How about you wait after my shift and we can have a good spar. I could use one myself really." Rize grinned in reply. "Fine, but you also have to go with me on a hunt tonight too. Can't have my cute nephew growing fat, eating all that meat without having worked for it." "Aren't you the one who'll get fat? You glutton." She stuck her tongue out at him. As she left to find a table, Touka came to Ken and punched him in the gut. Somehow, she'd done it in such a way, so that not a soul in the place saw it. He was still trying to figure out how she did for weeks afterwards. The angry female yanked the winded half ghoul down by his shirt and whispered in his ear, "Next time, give me some warning before you get me stuck with your boyfriend. Or better yet not send him to pick up your precious sisters from school." As she walked off Ken could only, "What's wrong with Hide?"

* * *

Touka flipped the sign to close. Another hard day at the café was over. The employees at Anteiku stretched and relaxed a bit before finishing up their cleanup. However, someone else had remained behind with them. Rize was waiting at a back table for Ken to finish his part. After everyone was finished, Ken finally came over to her. "You ready?" Ken asked. She smiled back at him. "Of course, onigokko rules?" Ken agreed and they began to head down to Anteiku's "basement". They were followed by the rest of staff as well. Most of them just thought it would be fun to watch. The twins especially were looking forward this. However Touka had other reasons for following them. For one, she just wanted to see one of them get hurt badly; whether it was her annoying, siscon of a coworker or that trouble making bitch. Second, she thought it might be educational. Other than the Kanekis and Rize, Touka had had little real contact with a rinkaku user. She only had the most basic of information on them and hoped this fight could give her a better understanding of rinkakus and some idea on how to deal with them in the future.

Shortly after everyone was seated in a safe spot to watch the battle, Ken and Rize went to different sides of the room. The rules to this spar were simple. If Kaneki was able to touch Rize in 10 minutes then he would win. If Rize could avoid him for that 10, then she won. No lethal blows or hitting "around" the belt allowed and among the rules. Ken was especially excited. It had been so long and Rize was actually a really good sparring partner for him. Their similar kagune were close to the same that it helped make it more balanced. But more importantly, she was his antitheses. He was stronger in hand to hand combat. His time out on the street had honed his skills along with the training he had received from the ghoul pack that had picked him up after the death of their parents. He also had far more muscle power in his small body then Rize did. Her talent, though, laid in her Kagune. She could easily control this fight with her superior kagune. Being better fed, fully grown, and experience led to a bigger and stronger Kagune then the half-ghoul's own. This forced Kaneki to be on the defensive; upsetting his entire fighting style. Yomo set up the timer and pressed the on button.

That moment Ken launched himself forward quickly. Next, Rize launched her kagune the stop him. The razor sharp tentacles came down for a downwards strike. Kaneki used his kagune to block them. He knew for sure hers could easily cut through his own. So instead, he tried to use his to redirect them away from their target. He angled his kagune to hit Rize's in angle instead of hitting them straight on. This caused all six of Rize's away and gave him an opening in the middle.

* * *

**Conitnued in part 2**.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> second new chapter

**Continuation of chapter 4.**

* * *

Before she could recover, he launched two of them directly at her. Rize was able to pull one of hers back and easily deflected both only to just notice the third one now flying towards her gut. Not able to regroup her kagune fast enough, Rize tried to dodge but the serrated edge of the hunting organ still swiped her; drawing blood. Ignoring the healing cut, Rize used her previously recalled rinkaku tentacle to grab onto the one that had hit her. She tried to use it to trace back to Ken but he quickly dissipated the captured tentacle and continue to press forward. By now he was a little over half way across the room. Rize decided to stop trying to efficient and instead just use a basic attack that was standard of almost all rinkaku; unleash a wild flurry of attacks at your enemy with aiming replaced with sheer power and speed. Kaneki was forced to jump, dodge, and weave his way around. He sustained several hits but his regenerative capabilities covered for that. This went on for several minutes, with Ken trying a few times to strike back with his own rinkaku at Rize, before Koma yelled out, "One minute left." Rize gave an impish grin which only increased Ken's desire to win. Still he saw nothing that could really help him win unless. He used all the strength of his kagune to slam into the ground shattering parts of it and disturbing the dust which had been collected on its surface. This acted like a smoke screen; confusing Rize. She tried to find him by swinging her tentacles through the dust cloud but by now Ken had already jumped up to the roof. He used it as a rebound to launch himself off of at RIze. He landed right on top of her right before the buzzer screeched. "So looks like my win," the eldest Kaneki mocked. Rize just grinned. "True but… don't you think it would be way better if you did this," she motioned with her hands towards their bodies, "with Touka instead of me." Ken looked down to see a rather compromising situation. He had pinned her crotch with his, his right hand was cradling her left breast, and the left hand was pinning her arms above her head. Immediately He freaked out and jumped off of her while everyone else was laughing at his reaction. Rize got up to and after grooming herself a bit walked off saying, "See you tonight my big boy. I hope you're looking forward to it as much as me."

Kuro, "Way to ago big bro!"

Shrio, "So that's why big brother never accepted all those date invitations."

Ken, "Shut up you two."

* * *

Later that night, Ken met up with Rize in a secluded spot near Anteiku. She gave him a once over before stating, "Still looking as shabby as ever in that." Ken slightly glowered at her. "I don't care. It's just a hunt. Besides unlike some people here, I have a family to take care of. And this outfit does nicely to disguise me from any doves or ordinary people we may encounter while out here." The outfit Ken had chosen was rather plain over all. Some comfortable pants and shoes that would not get in the way of any strenuous activity. A pair of fingerless gloves made to help with grip and climbing. His mask draped down on his neck for when he'd need it. As for his torso, he wore and odd coat that was like a windbreaker and a trench coat combined that came down to just about the knees. It was blackish grey, with plenty of pockets across the front and a detachable hood on the top. It was primarily a zip up jacket but still could be buttoned up with the black colored buttons on it. The coat, as well as the pants were intentionally baggy to mask his outline or any other distinguishing features. "Whatever, let's just go I'm starving." Kaneki couldn't help but laugh at that. "Since when are you ever not hungry?" Rize punched him hard in the arm for that.

And so they both began to head towards a spot that Rize claimed had some of the best tasting meat in the entire ward. Ken fitted his mask on as Rize began to describe how nice the meat was. She was saying something about the fat content being just right or other; he really wasn't listening. They jumped a fence and were now walking through a currently abandoned construction zone. "Come hurry up you slow poke," Rize stated. "It'll be all your fault if all the good ones are gone before we get there. Ken was pulling up the jacket hood to further disguise himself. However before he could say anything back to her, he heard a snapping sound. Suddenly a batch of steel girders was fall on them. Ken was just outside the worst of it but one of them came pretty close; nicking his jaw hard. The mask was torn off his face as well a batch of skin. His jaw bone was crushed too. The indirect hit was enough to knock Kaneki onto the ground. He groaned into discomfort as his healing started to take care of his wounds. His eyes immediately locked onto his aunt as she was buried under metal beams. He could barely see an arm partially sticking out of the bottom of the pile. As he tried to figure out how to get to her, he heard the noises of concerned humans. He didn't have enough time to save her. He gritted his teeth, grabbed his mask, and ran off as a young woman reached the site. Running away he could barely contain his feelings. Especially guilt. Guilt that he had gotten another important person to him killed.  _'Damn it. Why? Why did this have to happen? If only hadn't asked her for that spar. She could have just gotten another unlucky dimwit to take home for dinner. But due to my selfish request she decided to do this and now she's dead. AND IT'S ALL MY FAULT! AGAIN!'_

* * *

He reached the Kaneki home soon afterwards and let Shiro and Kuro know what had a happened. This, along with the bad memories of times past lead to a not so pleasant night for the family. Kaneki called to let Yoshimura he would not be coming in to work tomorrow before hanging up and comforting the now distraught twins. By 2AM all three were curled up together on the couch; using each other's body warmth to chase away the nightmares plaguing all three. Little did they know, sadly, that the universe was not through playing cruel jokes on them.

* * *

A few days prior to Rize's demise two men entered the 20th ward branch office of the CCG. They both preceded to study the offices aspects as they introduced themselves. After a few verifications they were both led to meet with the director of this ward. A short meeting later and they were both already leaving as they either ignored or didn't notice the stares of admiration and respect they respect of the office employees who watched the pair as they exited the building. Mado grinned, "Ah the twentieth ward. I haven't been here since the Owl case. How nostalgic." Mado's partner Amon nodded. "It does seem like a nice place. But now that Binge Eater, as well as eyepatch, have come here, so many of innocent lives are being taken. As well as the rest of the filth here. It's disgusting," Amon spat out. Mado replied, "True, despite that man's assurances, it's likely that the people here are just doing the bar minimum of work necessary. All they are doing is giving scum the chance to dig in and breed. But you shouldn't worry about it too much Amon. We'll start work tomorrow. So for today you should relax and prepare yourself." "Understood," Amon replied.

"Good. But for now we shall tread lightly. None of the scum currently know that we are here. Let's use a few days to get used to the area before we properly reveal ourselves." Mado left his subordinate while imagining all the quinques he could create from the ghouls of the 20th ward. In particular he enjoyed the idea of slaying eyepatch with quinques made from those two sisters of his. A disturbing grin crossed Mado's face.  _'To be struck down by members of your own brood. A fitting end for scum. Wouldn't you agree eyepatch?'_

* * *

Days after the steel beams accident.

Somewhere else in the 20th ward a rather dorky looking man whose face was completely hidden behind a disturbingly decorated clown mask entered a simple hospital through one the windows on the upper floors. "Excuse me, is the doctor in?" the man childishly asked. "Over here," another voice answered. He was surrounded by papers and had both a desk top and laptop computer open. A half-eaten sandwich and bag of chips lay on the small table to his right while three cans of coke were spread out around his feet. Another coke was in his hands as he used it to keep himself awake. "What do you want Souta?" The doctor agitatedly asked the clown. Laughing Souta responded, "Now now Kanou sensei there's no reason to get angry. I'm not here to ask anything from you. Though, part of the reason I am here is because my boss wanted to know if you were happy with the state of the material we gave you earlier. Any problem with it?" Dr. shook his head no.

"Good, as for the second reason I'm here, we just wanted to ask if this will be enough materials for you." Kanou looked up straight into the eyes of the ghoul. Or at least where his eyes should be. "It's manageable, but more material is always a good thing. Why do you ask?" Despite the mask, Kanou could tell that the man he was talking to was grinning sadistically. "Well a few months ago, we came across something interesting. You see, a group of three youngsters apparently moved in to the ward recently. They don't seem to be all that interesting at first glance, but if the rumors are true then they may be related to our poor little dear Rize chan." Kanou was now intrigued. "Can you get me more information on them? Anything is fine." To reply, Souta backed up a bit. "Now ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming today to see my performance today. Now for my first and last trick of the evening, I am gonna pull just a simple trick. However, though simple. I can assure you that it will answer all of the questions from the amazing and talented doctor Kanou. Frist look. I have nothing in my right hand. Nor in my left sleeve. Now watch and be amazed. One, Two, Three TADAH!" From his sleeve, Souta had pulled three files of decent size and handed them to Kanou. "These are CCG records of all three of them. Have a look through them and once you're done tell me your answer." Kanou searched through all three of them in quickly before placing them down and addressing the clown. "You are most correct. They are intriguing and from what I could tell from the files, is that the boy at least has a healing factor much like subject 1."

"So do you want us to capture them all?"

"No, that won't be necessary for the time being at least. Though I would like one thing from them though."  
"And that is?"

"Nothing much. Just a little blood sample from one. Try to get one as fresh as possible."

Souta grins. "I'm sure we could do that."

* * *

**Omake: Here is the paraphased files that Kanou and Amon were reading.**

Number: 302 Title: Binge Eater Sex: unknown, believed female Age: unknown Ethnicity: Unknown, believed Japanese Type: Rinkaku Rating: S

Highly dangerous ghoul that appears to have no set hunting grounds. No records of survivors of her attacks. Intel believes it uses seduction to attract prey and lead them to secluded areas for feeding. Currently believed to be in the 20th ward.

Number: 361 Title: Eyepatch Sex: male Age: unknown, believed 18-25 Ethnicity: Japanese Type: Rinkaku Rating: SS

A ghoul who first appeared several years ago participating in the night raid incidents. Talented in hand to hand combat. Has shown extreme aggression against investigators. Personally responsible for at least the deaths of 13 CCG personnel while aiding in the murders of dozens of other personnel. Survived the suppression of the night raiders by Inspector Arima. Afterwards, ghoul remained largely off the grid. Evidence shows that said ghoul settled in 13th ward. Recorded hunting with Binge Eater (relationship unknown). Recent confirmed sighting in the 20th ward.

Warning: While not confirmed there is a high risk that target may have acquired a kakuja. Despite being unfounded, possibility of such has raised threat to of target to SS. Discussion over rating recommended if confirmed and threat quantitated.

Warning: Ghoul shows great capability to destroy quinques in battle. Please take precautions if forced to engage. (data and photos provided in appendices.) Also led to SS designation of said ghoul.

Numbers: 471 and 472 Title: Yin Yang sisters Sex: female Age: unknown, believed 13-18 Ethnicity: Japanese Type: Rinkaku Rating: S

Rarely encountered, not much is known about these ghouls. What little has been seen of them lends to hypothesis of a biological relationship with number 361. Have shown remarkable ability for cooperative attacks (as such recommended that investigators should avoid conflict with 471 and 472 without adequate back up.).

Note: Though still dangerous, Numbers 471 and 472 showed major drop in combat power when seperated. Epsecially for 472 (Yang). Appears to suffer from some sort of tramau. Advise that inspector to use this to their advantage.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> third new chapter

As the sun crested over the horizon, a new day began in Tokyo. To most it was just another day with its average ups and downs. Nothing significant had happened yesterday and nothing significant would happen today. To ordinary humans it was going to be just another ordinary day. However things were much different for the denizens of the shadows. Especially in the supposedly peaceful 20th ward. A new age had dawned for the local ghoul population. For the tyrant Rize was gone. The monster who had held the entire ward under her thumb was crushed by a random accident of all things. The ghouls who had been terrorized by her all now gave a collected sigh of relief. Many of which were already planning to take her place as king of the ward despite the presence of Anteiku.

However not all were happy with this predicament. The Kaneki family were not among those that were celebrating. Even Ken, who had his issues with his supposed aunt, found himself missing the self-serving, powerful woman. It was like something important in his life was now missing. He found himself falling into a slight depression even as he was trying to cheer up his two grieving sisters. It didn't help that he still felt that it was his fault. Shiro and Kuro had tried their best to convince their older brother that it was not his fault but he just couldn't accept it. He had failed another member of his family and they had had to pay the price for it. Ken swore to whatever god would listen to a half and half like him that he would never let this happen again. He would protect his precious family, those two lovely girls, no matter what he had to do. Even if it led onto the path to Hell, he would protect them.

Thanks to the new situation in the ward Ken was already finding his resolve tested. With the threat of Rize gone, a portion of the ghouls that had suffered under her saw Ken and the girls as a perfect target to get their vengeance on. Both he and the girls had been attacked a couple of times in the days after the accident. Nothing too dangerous for them. Just a few street punk ghouls of low caliber that ran off after even a small show of strength. Despite the twins being easily able to handle themselves, Ken decided that he would always be there for them. He walked them to school and picked them up. If they had to go somewhere, then he went too. He feared that these thugs would get smart and decide to try to attack them all together. Even the weakest enemy could be dangerous when you were outnumbered.

Several days later, after he got the girls to school again, Ken started heading to the university campus. He rubbed his head to try to relax the headache that was aggravating him. Then someone grabbed him and forced him into an alleyway. Ken didn't really resist it. Though it somehow made the headache worst, he was too tired to really push back; deciding to just let them have their fun and blow off the anger they had from Rize on him. Hopefully it would end this harassment sooner and allow them to get on with their lives.

The biggest one of them immediately punched him in the face. Ken had to stop himself from laughing at how weak the punch was. It would barely leave a bruise for a few seconds till his healing fixed it up. He didn't even pay attention as the three started hitting him and chastising him. He was too busy trying to think of what excuse he'd use this time to get out of eating lunch with Hide this time.

However it seemed he would not be getting off that easy. The leader, Ken assumed, grabbed him by his hair and yanked Ken's face up to his. The thuggish ghoul grinned, thinking his target was too afraid to fight back. Ken just tried to figure out what this man ate to make his breath so foul. "Hahaha. I can't believe this. Don't tell me all the stories about the great eyepatch of the 13th ward were just fairy tales. Or was it just that you were hiding behind Rize all this time. What a disgrace for a man to hide behind a woman." All three of them laughed while Ken thought,  _'Wow! even the way they laugh is cliché. Like one of those scenes in a manga'_ "How lame," another one taunted while the third one kept laughing.

When this still didn't illicit a reaction, the boss decided to try something different. As he held the male half ghoul, he mused, "Hmmm, how boring. Perhaps we should have gone after those little sisters of yours. I'm sure they would have been a lot more fu…." Before he could even finish, Ken had already backhanded the man's face. Ken didn't hold back either. The man lower jaw shattered under the impact. There were even pieces of his bones that got stuck in the half-ghoul's hand. The leader flew several feet farther into the alleyway before smashing into a dumpster and blacking out. Ken didn't give his lackeys any time to process what had just happened. He smashed his open palm into the solar plexus of the skinnier one; throwing him back as his entire rib cage shattered. As the last one realized the danger he was now in, Ken grabbed him by his head and slammed the third thug into the wall.

Calmly, Ken stated, "Ahh, you three just had to keep your mouths shut and finish our little game and we could have let bygones be bygones. You see I get why you're angry and you do have a right too. I mean Rize wasn't exactly the nicest when it came to sharing hunting grounds. She was a bitch; I know. But then you just had to bring up my precious little sisters. And that is something I can't let slide." He tightened his grip on the man's skull, "Now I want you to spread the word. NO ONE TOUCHES MY SISTERS. If I find out one of you has so much as flipped one of their skirts. Well I'll just have to force you eat your own intestines. You understand?" The captured ghoul nodded. Ken smiled and said, "Good" before he fractured the man's skull; the sharp cracking noise of breaking bones were only matched by the man's screams. Kaneki dropped him after that, grabbed his bag and headed off to college. The headache now crawling across his brain. Even his Kagune hurt as it crawled under his skin.

* * *

"Wow, you look awful. Did you get into a fight with someone?" Kaneki looked up to see his human friend's concerned face. At first Kaneki was confused. Till he remembered the earlier bought he had. While his body had healed his clothes were still roughed up and he still looked dirty from being thrown around. His lack of sleep probably added to the look.

Ken gave his friend a passable smile as he touched his chin. "Don't worry about it. I was just late so I was rushing here and tripped on the way over. Nothing to worry over." Something in his friend's face told him he didn't buy it. Like he knew that Ken hadn't been to sleep since 3 in the morning and was running mainly on coffee and fumes. Ken, trying to calm down Hide, asked, "Can you get me some coffee? I have a really bad headache and the caffine'll probably help." As he watched Hide leave, Ken laid his head back down. He was too tired and irritated to care about anything right now. Not to mention the headache was getting worse. He didn't know why, but it had come around the first night after they had lost Rize and had never left. At best it was like a dull itch on his brain. At worst, it felt like something crawling in his ear or nibbling on his brain. All of this was making him very irritable. He idle wondered if whatever was causing the headache was also what was causing his kagune to feel restless; like it wanted to move on its own.

Hide returned and handed him a drink. Ken immediately started to chug it, only to find the taste of cuddled fat filling his mouth. He spat what he could. "What the hell Hide!? I thought you were going to get coffee!" he yelped; still coughing. Hide smiled compassionately. "Its milk. You don't look like you're doing so well. Irritability is a sign of a calcium deficiency they say. Come on drink up. You'll feel better." Ken growled quietly. The milk bottle slightly crushed in his grip. The headache was now rapping around his brain. The pain making his left eye twitch a bit.  _'You expect me to drink this filth?! Why?! If you are a true friend then you should just do as you're told! Aren't you my friend?! Or are you an enemy! Maybe he knows the truth and this is all a trick to get me to reveal myself.'_ Looking back at his friend, Ken slowly able to shake that feeling. He could tell that Hide genially cared for him. He forced the headache back to a dull thud with sheer willpower. Still even if he didn't know where that thought had come from, it was still something he feared beyond much else. And his new human friend had proven himself quite perceptive many times over. Deciding not to think about it, Ken powered through the disgusting drink and walked with his friend to their classes. He was able to make it halfway through second period before having to vomit behind some bushes.

* * *

Later that night, after a relatively uneventful shift at Anteiku he returned home. He still didn't feel well. Therefore he had decided to just go to bed after eating a light dinner. Unfortunately he found that once again a peaceful night would escape him. Ever since Rize's death, he had been having nightmares. These dreams became a horrible combination of his past failures and his future worries. He was certain that it was their fault that he was so tired and for the headaches he now suffered from.

Ken found himself in a room. It was his room. The room that he had lived in as a child. Before his parents had died. But there was something wrong. Like something sinister was in the air. It made the boy feel sick; as if every breath was filled with poison. Ken walked towards the doorway; into the hallway that seemed to be made of nothing but shadows. Once he passed through he found himself in an empty nothingness but slowly in front of him he saw his sisters wounded and struggling to run away from something. They pleaded for his help as he saw someone behind them. A figure who waved a halberd like device; a quinque he realized. Behind him another figure appeared with a blade of similar make. Ken tried to run to his sisters to save them from the two demons but he found himself trapped by chains that slowly changed into the arms and hands. He slowly recognized the ones holding him down as those he had failed. Those whose deaths were his fault. Among them he was pulled. The hands of Rize, of his father and mother held him back. Forcing him to watch as the enemy got closer and closer to his dear sisters; the last ray of hope in his life. He shouted and screamed and clawed to be let go. He begged anything to help him and in the darkness he heard it. A scratching noise like something unholy scuttling around in the shadows. As he turned to the side he saw his own face, demented staring out at him before it too grabbed at him. This time choking the life out of him. All while it begged for forgiveness.

Ken for another night, jumped up as he awoke from another nightmare. The images in it still so fresh in his mind that they made him sick. He ran to the bathroom and threw up. Once done, he looked at himself in the mirror. He looked horrible. The lack of sleep, the roaring headache that was once again in full force, and the stress of protecting his family was all wearing him down. The male Kaneki sibling took some medication to hopefully alleviate the pain in his head. He then went to the front room and started to watch some late night TV with a cup of coffee. He didn't really pay attention to what was on. Even the early morning talk show that was running a special on ghouls with the main discussion being around the binge eater only led to a moderate increase in his attention. Soon the twins were both up and though both of them gave him a worried glance, they didn't press the issue as they got ready for school. When they were finished, including a light breakfast to make sure they were up to full strength, Ken once again escorted them to school before deciding to skip classes today and just go back home and try to get some rest in with the house quiet and dark. He didn't succeed.

* * *

It wasn't a lie to say that there was no love lost between Anteiku and Rize. They had merely tolerated each other's presence and most at Anteiku had not felt that upset when the woman who had caused them so much consternation over the last few months to a year had been killed in a freak accident. They only cared as far as what it meant for their newest employees. The twins had been pretty upset but had slowly gotten over it over the days and weeks that went by. They already had tough skin from the harsh childhood they had had to suffer through after their parents' demise. However the one that seemed to be the worse off was their brother. For some reason, he seemed to be slowly breaking down after the accident. But it didn't seem to be just the accident. While it was the trigger for Ken's recent mood, the true cause seemed to be even deeper. Like something was broken was crawling to the surface. Touka, the twins, Yoshimura and the rest were all worried that something bad was bound to happen. They worried as the boy seemed be on edge and would try to hide away from everything. He also seemed to forget a few times where he was or what he was doing and could lash out at those who got close. Touka could still feel it in her wrist for a couple days. When she tried to get Ken's attention one time and he grabbed her arm hard enough to crack the bones. Yoshimura was also hearing from Hide, Kuro, and Shiro how he was skipping classes and staying held up in his room. The old ghoul was worried. He hoped that this wouldn't escalate.

* * *

Then one day, Ken found that he had forgotten to deliver a report into one of his classes. Unlike the other times he'd shirked school work, missing this could fail him. So, Shiro decided to take it for her brother as he still had a shift at Anteiku. Shiro made a nice hot cup of coffee for Ken and even drew a cute little bird in the foam; or at least tried too. Afterwards, she headed to the Kamii campus, where she easily found the teacher and delivered the report for her big brother. It was as she was leaving the campus that she met Hide.

He was talking to a bunch of other university students when he called out to her, "Hey Shiro!" She grimaced a bit. "Hello, Hide," Shiro answered. She always felt a little nervous dealing with this particular human without her brother. She wasn't sure why. He was just the goofy human friend that stuck around her older brother. But something about him screamed dangerous to her. She approached the table to see what Hide wanted. "Who's this?" one of the other boys asked. Being the center of attention was something Shiro did not like. Like her older brother she preferred being in the background or with at most, a few trusted friends. Hide must have noticed her feelings of uncomfortableness because he grabbed her by the hand and led her away from the crowd of other young men, "Sorry sempai. She's the younger sister of one of my friends. He hasn't been doing too well unfortunately. So I'm talk to her about if there is anything I can do for him. And don't worry I'll get that program you were talking about from Nishiki-sempai today ok?" Hide then dragged her away to safety. "Sorry about that Shiro. I bet it was uncomfortable being looked at by all those older guys but they didn't mean anything bad by it. If anything they were just curious why a young cutie like you was on campus." Shiro didn't know if he was being serious or just messing with her. And if he was serious, if she should take it as a compliment or as a threat.

Thankfully Hide changed the topic quickly. "So how is Ken doing? He hasn't really been around that much and when he does show up he has been looking rather unwell. I know he tells me not to worry but you'd have to be an idiot not to notice something is really wrong with him. Come on you can tell me Shiro. I want to help him too." Shiro thought for a moment. Perhaps it would be good to get some input from the boy. She knew that she couldn't tell him everything. So she tried to use half-truths to placate him. "To tell you the truth, we just had a recent death in the family. Not anyone too close but close enough to hurt. And it seems that big brother was hit pretty hard by it. For some reason, he sees it as his fault despite it being an accident. He's barely sleeping or eating properly and as you probably know he's been a bit testy recently. We really don't know what to do." Hide tried to pose in a way that came off as wise but to Shiro he looked ridiculous. "Hmmm, I can see the problem there. Maybe a change of pace would be good thing. Would be good for him. Get him to stop spinning his wheels and actually move on. Perhaps I could take him out to eat. Perhaps Big Girl. He seems like the kinda guy who'd like a nice American burger. They taste really good with an egg on top." Shiro did not think that was a good idea. She was feeling nauseous just hearing about it.  _'What is it with humans and food? They always seem to use everything as an excuse to eat.'_ "I don't think that's a good idea. Big brother hasn't been able to keep down what he has been eating really. I wouldn't want you to waste your money on us." She replied. She sighed in relief when the human agreed. "Fine, I won't take him out to eat but we are getting you all a cake and we are all gonna eat together. And then do something fun. I'm sure it will get your brother back to his old self. Trust me." While Shiro nodded as if she understood, she was already trying to figure out how to escape from having death by cake written on her family's tombstones.

Hide stretched and then decided, "Come on we can get it after I finish up with what I have to do."

Shiro asked, "And that is?" Hide started walking towards one of the buildings; slowing down a bit to let Shiro catch up to him. "Nothing much, just need to get a DVD for those sempais from Nishio." Shiro followed; using this time to figure how to skip the cake and go straight to the 'fun' Hide promised. As they got closer and closer to their goal, a familiar scent reached Shiro's powerful nose. There was ghoul present. Trying to be discreet as possible, Shiro started looking around for the threat. Her kagune ready to pop out at a moment's notice. Granted she didn't think someone, especially in this ward, would be stupid enough to start a fight here but she thought best to be prepared for the unexpected. As they got closer Shiro realized that the smell was coming from the very door they were heading towards. The young man accompany her opened the door without even a knock.

She suddenly heard a woman scream. She then watched as some half naked girl ran off. Shiro idly thought that the girl did have a good fat to muscle ratio. "Damn it Nagachika, don't you know how to knock," a voice complained from in the room. "Umm, Sorry about that Nishio," Hide apologized as he entered. "I hate it when people barge into my territory. Is this how you respect your elders?" Shiro followed Hide into the room. The scents in the room, of coffee and ghoul, were almost comforting in their familiarity. On the other side of the room in front of the window sat the glasses wearing sempai. Shiro first thought was that he looked like just another prissy douchebag. However as their eyes met, she recognized that there was more to him. A threat to her and likely a worst one for her current companion. For in those eyes, she could tell what he saw her as. A remainder of Rize. And a way to get back at the dead woman.

* * *

Omake:

Ken and his sisters surrounded the table. "What is this supposed to be?" Kuro asked.

Ken grimaced, "A gift. From Yoriko"

"It looks like snot," complained Shiro.

Touka appeared behind Shiro and smacked her in the back in the head. "It's called pudding. Now come on. Eat." She handed each of them a spoon. Wanting to avoid the noxious slop, each of the siblings tried a different way to escape.

Ken, "I don't think it's appropriate for guys to eat sweets." Ken failed.  
Kuro, "I'm on a diet!" Kuro failed.  
Shiro, "I'm too young to die!" and Shiro fled. Only to get captured and force fed her portion by the irate Touka.

Just another evening in the current lives of the Kaneki family. Too much of which, if they had to say, included suffering from poisoning. All to please one irate Ukaku and her oblivious friend.


	7. Chapter 7

For the first few moments, nothing was said. The two, ghoul and half-ghoul, simply stared each other down; much like two cats. While their bodies were calm, their eyes as they met were both filled with venom as they sized each other up. The lone human cut this all short with, "Excuse me, but is there something the matter Nishio? You're really staring down poor Shiro here." Both man eaters broke off eye contact there. "No, just thought she looked familiar. Kinda like that bookworm guy I've seen you with," Nishio answered. He got up from his chair and walked over to Shiro. "So you're Shiro right? My name is Nishiki Nishio. A second year here in the pharmaceutical department. Pleasure to meet you." Nishio held out his hand to her. Shiro shook his hand and smiled before replying, "Believe me, the pleasure is all yours. And the name is Nashiro. Nashiro Kaneki."

The handshake between the two quickly became a hand crushing event as the two locked eyes again.  _'Dammit,'_ Shiro thought,  _'I only wanted to turn in big brother's paper. But instead, not only do I get stuck with following around Hide for who knows how long but now have to deal with this dick. You owe me big time brother. Big time!'_ Shiro's musings were broken up when the Hide ruffled her hair. "Come on now Shiro. Is that anyway to treat your elders after just meeting them? Keep doing that and you'll have a hard time finding a boyfriend. Guys don't like a bitchy personality you know," Hide teasingly chastised her. Her cheeks puffed out, Shiro thought,  _'If you weren't my brother's friend I would end you! Besides no one but big brother is allowed to touch my hair! NO ONE!'_ Her irritation was further raised as she saw the smirk that Nishio had on his annoying face.

Nishio turned to Hide and asked, "You needed something from me right?" "Yeah I needed the data on the program from last year. The other sempais said that you were the one who held onto the disc."

"Oh yeah that CD. Hold on it's probably here; somewhere."Nishio started to dig around his the room for it and instructed Hide to check for it on some shelves. Shiro decided to just stand there and not help. She didn't expect this to take that long anyway. However, despite her growing frustration, they were no closer to getting the disk and leaving as the minutes ticked by. Shiro was thankful she had her phone with her. When Shiro was at level 37 of tetris, Nishio stood up and announced, "Well it's not over here either. Okay if we give up now?" Hide jumped up too and griped, "Nooooo, please keep searching." "I'm all for quitting," Shiro quipped. Hide turned to her and stated, "You didn't even try to help so you get no say in this matter." "Ah, I remember. I took that disk home yesterday. Sorry Hide," Nishio suddenly announced. After a few more gripes from Hide though, the ghoul brought about another proposition. "It might be a bother for you, but you want to go get it now?"

Something about this irritated Shiro. She didn't know if it was the way he said it or what she saw in his eyes, but something about this offer made Shiro feel instantly uncomfortable. As she tried to figure this out, Hide came over and started to nicely push her out the door. "Sorry about this Shiro, looks like I'm gonna be busy today. Why don't you go on home and we can figure out how to cheer up Ken-chan next time ok?" Instead, Shiro pushed Hide away. She had a feeling that it would be a bad idea to leave this man alone with a possibly hostile ghoul. Her brother was already suffering after Rize. She didn't like the possibilities that could come from another death of someone close to him. Even if he was just a human. So, Shiro put on her best little girl face. "But Hide. You said we'd do something fun today. It's not nice to break promises with girls. If you keep doing that then you won't get very far with Touka-oneechan." For now, she would just try to stick around. Hopefully it would work as a deterrent. At worst, she would just need to beat up Nishio. "Are you really sure? I mean we might start talking about some pervy stuff on the way. You know, the stuff that you might find offensive." Before Hide could continue arguing though, Nishio also offered, "It's okay if she comes along right? Not like its anything she has heard before. After all, she is a high school girl right?" With two against one, Hide was forced to concede to Shiro coming along with them. On the way out Shiro sent a quick text her big brothers cell.

_Going with Hide and his sempai, Nishio, to pick something up from his house. Nishio_ _**Knew** _ _auntie Rize. Will be careful._

* * *

The journey seemed to be turning out to be uneventful. Shiro had been afraid that the moment they were outside the campus, Nishio would move them to a back alley and attack. Instead they had just walked on as previously advertised. Shiro was already regretting coming along. If she had just left, then she wouldn't have had to suffer through that dirt flavoured taiyaki. She had been able to get out of eating half of it at least by pulling the cliché diet excuse. "We're almost there," Nishio assured them as they headed further from the main street. Shiro sighed in relief. They reached a corner with Hide and Nishio in front as Shiro had fell behind a bit.

As the two men turned the corner, Nishio sprung his trap. Hide, stunned by the dead end in front of them, was caught off guard by the kick Nishio landed. Hide was launched into the alley way slammed into a pile of trash. "Hide!" Shiro shot forward in a panic; completely caught off guard by the attack. She had expected she would be the first to be targeted as the greater threat. As she got to the corner, Nishio grabbed her and she barely had enough time to roll into the throw to offset the attacks impact. "Sorry there Hide, I just needed you out of the way for now," the full ghoul stated as he snapped his neck. He now turned to appraise his second victim. "Now as for you, imagine my surprise. Not only to find another ghoul on campus, but a family member of that bitch. Hahaha. I don't know whether to be irritated that another one of you, no two of you counting your brother, thought it was a good thing to barge into my territory or be happy that I have someone to finally bring all my grievances to bear on." Shiro grinned back. "Your territory? I distinctly remember auntie Rize owning pretty much the entire ward. It's pretty hilarious to hear a beaten dog like you bragging. Acting like you own the place. If you were so strong then you should have held onto it in the first place, dumbass." She was rewarded with Nishio grinding his teeth. "You bitch. I'll make sure you regret messing with me."

Nishio made the first move. He shot forward and tried to round house kick the young girl. Shiro quickly brought her left arm up to block it while reinforcing it with her right arm. The kick shot her back a few feet and broke her arm. She however ignored the pain and let her rapid healing take care of it for her. With her left side momentarily out of commission, Nishio pressed his attack. Shiro was forced to dodge over and over and was not able to get a clear chance to counter attack. Even after her arm had healed enough to be usable. Shiro cursed her stupidity in letting Nishio take control of the fight. As a rinkaku type that was where she excelled. Instead now she was stuck playing defensive and being worn down by the bigger, stronger enemy. Her greatest weakness in this fight, her inexperience, could have set her on the path to ruin.

Luckily though, Shiro saw her out. Maybe underestimating the speed of her healing, Nishio was not keeping as tight a form on her left as he should. Taking a chance, Shiro dove for one of the more obvious openings. She put as much as force in her fist as she could and connected. She felt her foe falter under her deceptively diminutive fist. Nishio was thrown up by two inches and back half a foot while one of his ribs painfully cracked. Now with his offensive streak broken, Shiro pressed her own attack. She decided to ignore Nishio's counter attacks as that would put her back on the defensive. Instead she placed as much as she could on damaging her opponent while letting her rapid regeneration take up most of the slack. The battle soon became pitched as while Shiro got more hits off and connected more often, Nishio was able to better aim his and put more power in each strike.

Feeling worn down, Shiro jumped back a few feet to rest for a bit. She was still trapped by Nishio in the dead end and she also was too far from Hide for her liking. Also using the chance to catch his breath, Nishio whipped away the blood that leaked out of the side of his mouth. "Dammit. To think a cheeky little girl like you was able to push me this far. First Rize and now you. I can't believe that I have to deal with such a shitty family. Damn it." Nishio suddenly gained that same pretentious smirk that made Shiro's skin crawl again.

Nishio casually walked over to where Hide laid. Shiro felt her muscles tighten but didn't move. She knew that he was baiting her. If she moved to carelessly, then they would both be dead. Nishio stomped his foot on Hide's head. He then forced himself to throw up the taiyaki all over his hostage. "Ugh, taste like shit doesn't it Shiro-chan? Yet you always see these humans happily nibbling away at it all while judging us. Tell me what's so special about this human that you risked yourself to protect him? Why did your big brother let this one get so close to him? After all despite acting like a complete idiot, Hide's actually quite dangerous. You've felt it to right? That when he looks at you, it's like he's breaking down all your facades and seeing you for what you are; a ghoul. You should have been thankful to me. For getting rid of such a threat. Nah? Nah? NAH?" Several times during his "speech" he had slammed his foot on Hide's head. Shiro raced to formulate a plan. She needed to get him away to Hide; possibly she could grab Hide and make a run for somewhere with people or at least cameras.

Unfortunately, Shiro ran out of time. Nishio unleashed his kagune. The tail like organ wrapped around his leg as he brought it up for one more stomp. "So long Hide." Shiro leaped at Nishio while her own kagune popped out in the form of three tentacle rinkaku. She swung them down in a slashing move. But Shiro forgot an important rule of fighting with kagune. That a rinkaku shouldn't attempt to take on a bikaku of equal or greater power head on. Nishio's Kagune tore through the looser configuration of Shiro's and slashed across her arm and torso. Shiro screamed in pain as she crashed onto the ground rolled to a stop. Before she could get her bearings, Nishio kicked her hard in the solar plexus. Shiro was now starting to black out as she cough up blood. She felt like a fool. How could she have made such a rooky mistake? "I'm sorry Big brother," Shiro whispered as a tear formed in her one kakukan eye. However she then felt another presence behind her. "Oi! What the hell do you think you're doing to my sister?"

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im gonna try to more incorpirate the strenghs and weaknesses of the four types of Kagune have against each other. I dont really think that they showed that as much in the manga despite it being point out about it being like rock paper scissors.


	8. Chapter 8

Kaneki was worried. Shiro was supposed to just turn in the paper he forgot and come back. Nothing too dangerous right. So why had she was she still not back yet. The college campus wasn't that far was it? Did she get attacked by that trash that had tried to mess with them before? But they had largely stopped after he had made an example out of a few of them. Could they have been waiting for him to let his guard down? Or what if the worse had happened and she had run into a dove? Did she get meet the same fate as their parents? Did he let another member of his family die again?!

"Are you okay big bro?" Kuro's voice snapped Ken out of his panic stupor. He tasted blood. He noticed that he had been biting down on his finger hard enough to draw blood. He tried to quickly cover it up as he turned to his sister. She looked really worried. Was her really doing something that would make her that uncomfortable? He put up a nice smile and answered her, "I'm fine Kuro. Just worried about your sister is all. She should have been back by now. Cover for me for a bit, I'm gonna go get my phone and try to contact her." Ken didn't wait for an answer as he ran to his locker in the back. He pulled out his phone and saw Shiro's text. His grip tightened; almost cracking the phone. His still constant headache reached deadly levels.

Immediately Ken ran to Touka and yanked her back from the table she was at. "What the hell is wrong with you Kaneki?" Ken cut her off from further ranting by shoving the phone in her face and demanding, "Who is Nishiki and where can I find him?" Touka's eyes narrowed. "He's a real jackass. Acts like some bigshot while terrorizing weaker ghouls. He was one of the ones Rize kicked out of their turf when she rolled in. He has a place somewhere just outside Kamii, I think." She took a moment to consider the issue. "I wouldn't put it pass him to try something though." Ken silently lowered the phone and simply stated, "I see." Ken turned to and headed to the front door. "Hey! Wait! Ken!" Touka wasn't sure what she wanted to do. Stop him. Or help him. Ken opened the door and left only coldly stating, "Stay here for a bit Kuro, I'm going out to pick up your sister." Touka clenched her fist. "Dammit. Kuro, I'm going after him. Watch the shop with Koma. And don't even think about leaving too."

The ukaku ghoul dashed out barely spotting Ken as he slipped into a back alley. She chased after him and with her superior speed was able to catch up but Kaneki didn't even acknowledge her presence. She wondered if he even knew she was there. Using the side streets and alleyways allowed them to avoid normal people and therefore use their full strength to reach the Kamii area of the ward. Ken's face seemed to get more and more twisted as each alleyway or abandoned yard or building turned up empty. But then the two heard the sounds of a fight. Ken launched himself towards a corner and stopped as he came across his sister bloody and wounded on the ground with someone standing over her. Ken felt something in his head snap. He would not, could not let this go. He would make certain that this fool understood the folly of hurting his precious Shiro. And only then, if he was feeling generous, would he finish him. Ken jumped stopped just behind his wounded sister. "Oi! What the hell do you think you're doing to my sister?"

* * *

The venom in his words was enough to cause even the haughty Nishio to freeze up for a moment. Shiro too felt disturbed by the way her brother said it. It's not like she wanted her brother to have sympathy for this jerk. But it made her worry. Added with the way he had been acting recently made her afraid that she was losing her brother. That something dark was growing inside of him. She fretted over this as Touka jumped in and yanked her out from between the two males. She laid the younger girl down just near the entrance to the alleyway and tried to see if there was anything she could do to help her. Shiro coughed a bit. Her body forced the blood and shattered bone fragments from the kick out as it already worked on healing it. Her wounds from the Kagune were healing too; though more slowly than the other wounds. Luckily it had been a light hit overall but it will still probably take her a few hours to fully heal.

Both of them were brought back to the other two ghouls as Nishio started to laugh. Ken's face twisted even more in rage. "And what's so funny?" Nishio kept laugh as he replied, "You. Isn't hilarious that you just popped in out of nowhere. Like some knight in shining armor from a fairy tale. Or were you always tailing us this whole time and only decided to intervene only after it looked like your precious little sister would lose? If so then you're one sick little shit. Tell me, are they really  **Just sisters** to you?" Ken growled instead of answering. His Kagune sprung out from his back. But something was wrong with it. To Shiro, it looked sick. She always thought her brother's tentacles looked majestic. They reminded her of the powerful tail of a dinosaur or dragon. They had a good color and shape and he could control them well enough to pet her and Kuro on the head without even a scratch on them. However these ones he unleashed now frightened her a bit. They looked as if some black carapaces were growing over them in an almost parasitic way. Instead of standing at the ready like they should of, these new rinkaku seemed to twitch and jump around at their own violation. A couple of them even looking like they were snapping at each other.

Nishio tried to end this in one blow by slashing with his bikaku but Kaneki used his superior speed to launch forward and under the attack while his kagune wrapped all six tentacles around the offending organ in a screw like fashion. Kaneki then, using leverage and strength, ripped Nishio's kagune completely off. Before the other could register that his weapon was gone, Ken had positioned himself right in front of his opponent. He grabbed Nishio and then struck with his kagune at point blank range. The tentacles ripped into their target and exploded out of his back. Ken yanked his opponent over his head and began to repeatedly impale him while ignoring Nishio's pleas to stop. Blood covered Ken as it splashed around him. Before he finished by flinging Nishio into the back of the alleyway hard enough to crack the concrete. Satisfied, Ken's face morphed into a maniacal grin; a dollop of drool landed between the spots of blood on the ground unnoticed.

But he was not finished. He then turned his head to look at the unconscious human behind him. Something in the back of his head started whispering to him. It was all his fault wasn't it? Hide had been the one to put Shiro, his precious Shiro, in danger! If he hadn't taken her along, if he hadn't met her at all, then she would have never gotten hurt! She would been perfectly healthy and happy while never having to deal with that Nishio trash. Yes it was all Hide's fault!

One of the tentacles swung out. Its target still laying there; unawares. As the tentacle came down though, two others jumped in to intercept it. Both Touka and Shiro had blocked it with their own kagunes. Both of them were surprised at the force the one rinkaku strike held. "Big bro! What do you think you're doing?!" Shiro screamed. Her wounds tore open again. Blood pooled a bit under her but she ignored it to stare down her brother. The look in his eyes truly scared her. It was like it wasn't her brother looking at her but a true monster. At that time, Touka used her kagune to throw Ken's off and then grabbed Hide and Shiro to carry them back from the now deranged looking Ken.

Ken's mind hurt. He couldn't think straight. He just knew he was angry. So angry! He needed to protect someone. His sister! But why had she stopped him?! Was she an enemy now too?! But why?! Had he not done this for her?! Why was she upset?! It was his fault again! The pain over took everything and Ken screamed.

"Big Bro!"

"What the hell is going on?" Touka gasped. She watched as Ken fell to his knees. She heard his scream morph into a frightening laugh. The half-ghoul's Kagune flung around as they started to grow for a lack of a better term. Slowly it dawned on her what was happening as the kagune started to become armoured and grow along his back; Its form now more insect like as it started to coil around the man's face.  _'A kakuja. Ken has one?! But when and how. And why is it out of control now?!'_ She watched as Ken continued to jump between laughing manically and screaming in pain. The tentacles themselves started to lash out at everything. Gashes, inches deep, ripped into the concrete and asphalt. A pile of garbage nearby was basically vaporized by three of them. Their movements making clinking sounds that reminded her more and more of the noises of insects wiggling.

Touka needed to do something fast. At worst, he could kill them all or himself. At best, the doves would be drawn to the outbreak of a berserk ghoul and the twentieth ward would suffer the same fate of the thirteenth. She turned to Shiro and ordered, "Stay here and watch over Hide." She then charged at the out of control Ken. She wanted to get one good hit on his head. She was sure that if she could shake his brain before that freaky armor finished growing over his face, it would succeed in knocking him out. She would need all of the speed and maneuverability she could muster though, as one good hit from one of those rinkakus would rend her in two.

As she got closer the kagune reacted violent to her. However she was able to use the lessons from Ken and Rize's bout to counter them. She focused her attention not on the offensive parts of the predatory organ but on the parts that connect to his back. From there she was able to see how each tentacle was going to move much earlier than if she only watched the tips of them. Touka slid under one, then another. Next she used her kagune to push another off its lethal trajectory before using a wide spread shot of her crystal like kagune shards to force the lot of them back. She was within a few feet of him now. She barely dodged one last attempt to stop her before she was in front of her target. "WAKE UP KEN!" She all but screamed as she slammed her foot into his chin and yanked the male upwards by his face. The half ghoul landed in a heap at least a foot and half away. He tried to get back up but stumbled to the ground as the damage started to catch up to him. But the kagune didn't dissipate. Granted it did stop moving and growing but the freaky thing was still there. Touka figured she'd need to go in for one more hit until Shiro jumped on top of her brother. She hugged her brother hard. "It's okay big bro. It's all over. I'm safe. You don't have to fight anymore," she assured him in a soft voice. Her tears flooding out of her eyes as she brushed the side of his face. "So please, stop. Stop blaming yourself. You did nothing wrong. Please come back to me!" She tightened her hug.

* * *

It hurt. Ken's whole being was nothing but fear, pain, and anger at this point. Darkness surrounded him as a multitude of centipedes crawled around him, on him, in him. They wiggled around in his ears and nibbled on his frayed psyche. He could hear them in the distance. Or were they close? The screams and pleas of his sisters and the voices of his parents shouting at him to run away like they did all those years ago. Then he heard himself but not him. The darkness slowly started to close in on him as his other self started to speak.

"It's all your fault again. It always is isn't it? You led the CCG home! You ignored your sisters for revenge! You nearly abandoned them in this cruel world! You didn't even move to help poor auntie Rize after it was your fault she was there to be crushed! And now you let your precious Shiro get assaulted! You let a human led her to suffering because you let him get to close! You're at fault for everything. A selfish monster who doesn't want people to leave you alone but yet betrays them when the time comes right?!" That sounded correct to Ken. He was just so tired. His eyes started to close. Just let his other self take over and ignore the harsh reality.

"Wake Up Ken!" A very old and very familiar voice commanded of him. He felt a powerful slap that snapped him back into consciousness. And there before him, appeared a truly comforting sight; the smiling visage of his mother. She seemed to be light and warmth incarnate. Her very presence began to burn away the cold darkness that surrounded Ken. His other self and the centipedes began to vanish into the ether as if banished by her will. The child Ken stared at his mom as tears started to fall. "Momma?" Ken's mother wrapped herself around him in a powerful hug. "There there my big boy." She reached into his ear and pulled out one last centipede. Ken's head finally cleared of the pain he had been feeling all this time. "You should know better than to listen to things like this." She flung it out into the void. "But what it said is true right? It's all my fault that isn't it." However, instead of comforting him, the image of his mother grabbed Ken by his cheeks and pulled on them hard; scolding him like she used to.

"So what? Do you really think me or your dad or sisters want you to tear yourself up over this? Even if it really was your fault. Listen Ken. You need to let go. Learn from it and move on. Not wallow in it and sink into despair. Remember Ken, you're still a big brother and you sisters need you. You don't have time to fret. So promise me that you'll take good care of your sisters as well as yourself okay." Ken agreed. She smiled once more. "Good. Be safe my sweet child." She gave him one last hug and kiss on the check before disappearing.

* * *

Ken woke up to find himself in the Anteiku break room. The sofas here were surprisingly comfortable. He felt sore and hungry but more rested then he had in the last month and a half. He noticed that the twins were with him. They had both fallen asleep; laying across his chest. But even more shocking was the fact that Touka was here too. She was also a sleep, with Ken's head in her lap. As he tried to wrap his head around this, the manager entered.

"You gave us quite the fright Ken," Yoshimura said. His voice was relaxing to Ken. Reminding him of how his father sounded when he was trying to cheer him up. "Sorry sir," Ken answered. To his surprise the older ghoul started to lightly laugh. "No it's quite alright. I understand. Still I hope you know that this is something we do need to address. We don't want to have a repeat of this incident." "Yes, sir." Yoshimura placed a hand on top of Ken's shoulder. "Now don't be so formal. Right now you need to relax. To a kakuja like yourself stress is can be, for lack of a better word, hazardous. If you don't want to let this happen again then you're going to need to learn to let stuff go and trust that things will work out. I mean look at this incident. Both your sister and friend are safe and no humans spotted your little rampage." Ken smiled as his heart felt lighter. "Good good," Yoshimura continued, "Remember, if you find yourself in trouble again, then Touka, I, and the rest of the staff here will be willing and able to help you. But before that we need you to get a handle on your kakuja." "But how?" the younger male asked. Yoshimura walked over to the window and looked out onto the streets for a few seconds before answering, "You don't have to worry. I'll train you. I promise you we will see you master it. But until then no using outside of training, no over stressing yourself, and no eating ghoul no matter what. Do you understand?" Ken nodded. Before he could ask how though, Touka began to stir. She saw that Ken was awake too.

"You're up Bakaneki."

"Yeah, thanks for helping with, well, stuff."

"Sure, but don't forget you owe me big for this."

Ignoring her threat, Ken began to snuggle his head back into Touka's lap.  
"What do you think you're doing?!"

"Going back to sleep. You're plushy legs are actually really comfortable."

Shiro and Kuro were awaken by the sounds of Yoshimura laughing and the crunch of Ken's momentarily disappearing nose.

* * *

The clink of ceramic rung in the laboratory. Kanou idly watched the coffee in his cup settle as he contemplated his research. Another test subject had failed. He wasn't too worried. Even a failure had its uses and the clowns were more than available for him to acquire replacement materials. Still the fact that he was still unable to create a success was irritating. Was it really impossible to create a human ghoul hybrid? Perhaps not. Thanks to his associates he believed he had acquired the necessary pieces to solve the puzzle.

He pushed a button his computer and pulled up the new data. On one side of the screen were pictures of the three Kaneki siblings; including one that clearly showed Shiro's single kakugan and multiples of Ken's out of control kakuja. There were also several pictures of the three about their daily life or working at Anteiku. The other side showed results of the siblings' genetic samples. Granted due to the contaminated state of the ill-gotten samples: Kuro's blood from a coffee mug shard, and Shiro's blood and Kaneki's drool from their fight with Nishio, Kanou could not completely trust the data he got from them. But he had already been able to lock onto several genetic markers that he felt could be the key to stabilize his experiments. He also noticed that the fluids had slight chemical variations from human and ghouls that he had not previously accounted for. He smiled as he sent the message to his ghoul allies on his requirements for the next batch of samples.

He idly thought about trying to acquire Ken and his sisters. But decided to let them be for now. They were not going anywhere and he didn't need them; at least for this stage of the program. Perhaps with time they would come to him though. He didn't think it would be that hard to turn a couple of high school girls and their young guardian to his views of the world. Just nudge them in the right way and they would see the truth. Of how distorted this world was.


	9. Chapter 9

Takashi Sasaki was content. He sat on an ordinary sofa, in an ordinary apartment, on an ordinary day. The man himself seemed ordinary at first glance as well. But this generic looking man was actually a ghoul. And not just any random one, but the unofficial leader of an entire ward; the SS class Yamata no orochi (or the orochi for short). The "eight tailed" menace though didn't really lead anything and had been basically retired from the ghoul world for almost a decade now. Right now Takashi was now halfway through his new book; The Siren's Song. It was a story that followed a young detective as he was slowly stalked and played with by the Siren; a female rapist and serial killer. He loved dark stories like this. Though thanks to this and one rather sleepless night, his wife had revoked his bed time story privileges with the kids. At least Ken had seem to like it; after he stopped crying that is.

"Daddy!" As if summoned by his thoughts, the eldest of his children rushed in and tackled him. Takashi looked at his son. The young boy was still so small and cute. One of his eyes still covered by a medical eyepatch until he could learn to control that kakugan of his. But something was wrong with this picture. Was his male heir wearing something pink and frilly? His wife entered next; a confident smile plastered across her face.

"Honey why is Ken in a dress?" Takashi asked. Though he did mentally ask,  _'And why does it fit him so well?'_ Hotaru Sasaki adjusted her glasses before answering. "Fufufu. Looks good doesn't he? I got to admit sometimes I surprise myself with all of my natural talent. As for why well," She pulled out a decorated orange colored flyer, "Look! They are having some festivities at the local market for Halloween. Including handing out some candy for free to the local kids who come out to play. And everyone knows that cute girls can charm a bit extra from those old store owners right? So, I'm taking all three of the kids out to get some and with the fact that none of you can eat it means it's all mine." Takashi mussed on Hotaru's plan before asking a potential flaw. "Don't all the people there already know Ken is a boy?" "Don't sweat the small stuff," she waved him off.

Takashi sighed, "I can't believe you are willing to demean your son for candy." Hotaru narrowed her eyes. "Says the guy who went three wards over to get a batch of eyes." "Hey," He answered defensively, "a friend of mine gave me a good deal on them." "You have no friends. Don't think I didn't figure out that you had to give some of those guys in your wedding party some of your territory to get them to do it for you." "What about Rize?" "She doesn't count."

Takashi looked back down at his poor son. The little boy stared back at him; his eyes tearing up. "If I go out like this, everyone from school will see me. I don't want to be bullied," Ken whined. Takashi kindly rubbed his son's head. He didn't know what to say to cheer Ken. His only advice would be to just not go to school after all of this. It was after all, Hotaru's wish for them to go. He still thought it was too dangerous and would rather that they had home-schooled the children. Unfortunately for their child, his wife was a force to be reckoned with. When she wanted something, the entire family found itself hard pressed to refuse her whims. So when the twins headed for the door with Hotaru behind them dragging the poor boy to his doom, all he could do was offer a pray for the boy and try to figure out a way to make it up to him.  _'Perhaps I'll take him to the bookstore tomorrow and let him get whatever he wants,'_ He thought as he once again opened his book and returned to his ordinary past time on this ordinary day on an ordinary sofa.


	10. Chapter 10

It was a bright, sunny morning when Kuro found her brother sleeping in again. She sighed. Granted it was great that he could finally sleep soundly. But the fact he always overslept now was quickly becoming a problem of its own. Kuro tried to nudge him awake. "Come on big bro, we're gonna be late." Ken grimaced and rolled away from her. Kuro, giving up on being nice, decided to use force. She jumped up and body slammed her sleeping brother. Her elbow causing something in her brother's chest to go crunch. Ken shot up in pain; coughing up a bit of blood. He shot a glare at his sister who just calmly stated, "Morning." Ken immediately tackled her and started to noogie her. "What the hell do you think you're doing? That hurt." Kuro struggled as she replied, "Shut up. It's your fault for not waking up." They wrestled for a few minutes till they heard someone clear their throat. Shiro was now in the doorway to Ken's room. Her brother still holding her sister in a headlock as she froze in the middle of biting his arm. "Don't be too hard on her big brother," Shiro explained. "Kuro's just excited that you took the whole day off and can't wait to spend the whole day with you." Kuro lowered her head in embarrassment. "You don't have to say it like that," she whispered. Ken let her go and lovingly rubbed her head. "Alright, I get it. Let's get dressed and we can figure out what to do while getting a cup of coffee at Anteiku. Okay?"

Both of the twins agreed and within an hour they were seated at a table in the café. Ken was wearing a pair of comfortable slacks and a polo with a light windbreaker jacket on for warmth. Kuro had decided to wear a tomboyish outfit while Shiro went for a more feminine but still practical outfit. Ken took a sip of his coffee. The warm drink waking him up for the day of simple relaxation with his sisters. "So what do you want to do Shiro?" he asked. Kuro puffed out her cheeks. "Hey how come she gets to choose?" Shiro smirked before answering, "Because today is also a get well gift for me too. I did get hurt pretty badly during that fight with Nishio and when Big brother went nuts." "No far I got hurt too. My hand got cut when some honestly creepy guy broke a cup." Not wanting this to turn into some sort of fight Ken relented to Kuro. "Fine Kuro, we have the whole day so we can also go somewhere you want to go." He smiled at the squee of delight from the younger girl. "Well I just want to go to the bookstore," Shiro proclaimed. "I'm still feeling a bit emotionally tired from everything so a nice relaxing trip to the bookstore would be nice. And besides some of the series I read have come out with new books recently." While not as avid of a reader as her older brother Shiro came pretty close. Though she preferred happier series compared to her brother. She especially loved epic fantasies and romantic series. Kuro, on the other hand, didn't read anything more complicated than a light novel or manga. Ken nodded. "Okay then. And you Kuro?"

Before the second girl could answer though another voice called out from the entrance. "Kaneki-san? Oh thank goodness we found you here. I was afraid we had missed you when you weren't at your apartment this morning," Yoriko came over to their table with Touka behind her. Ken did not like that smile that Touka had behind Yoriko. Or the fact that the human girl was holding something in her arms. He tried to put on a disarming smile. "Sorry, I promised my sisters that I'd take them out for a family day. Was there something you need?" Yoriko smiled as she placed the box on the table and opened up to a rather well made cake. All three siblings tried their hardest not to show the horror they felt on their face at this toxin being placed in front of them. "It's a cinnamon bunt cake. I made it for you. Touka told me how you've been unwell for the past month or so and well I thought eating some nice might help in getting better. I'd also really like it if you could give me your thoughts on it." The last line she said as she blushed a little. Ken nodded, "Ah, thank you Yoriko, but you really didn't have to. I've gotten over what was bugging me recently. But still the thought is appreciated." "Oh come on Bakaneki. Don't trample on a young girl's feelings. Just eat it all right here." Ok now Ken was certain that Touka wanted him dead for something. Thankfully, Kuro came to the rescue. "Uh, Yoriko we already had breakfast and were still full from that. Would you mind if big bro saves it for later. I promise we'll give you all sorts of praises for your great cooking at school tomorrow. But for now, how about you come with us. I wanted to go to the arcades nearby. It'll be fun as you get to watch my brother totally fail at video games." Ken snorted. "I'm not that bad at them." Shiro smirked and accused, "Says the guy who almost set our old apartment on fire playing a gamecube." "I still hold to the argument of faulty wiring with that." The lone human started to giggle. "Un," she answered, "We'd love to go. I don't really get to hang out with you two outside of school and your big brother does seem like a fun guy." Shortly afterwards, as the Kaneki's were finishing their coffees and Yoshimura had kindly put the cake in the back for Ken to take home later, Yoriko excused herself to go to the restroom. After she had left Ken asked, "Oh Touka, did I do something to upset you?" She turned back to him with that same frightening smile, "Well Ken, let's just say this is a thank you for being so kind as to give your excitable blonde haired friend my phone number. He's already sent me enough texts to make me seriously contemplate killing him. But it'll just be easier to get a new phone or number if push comes to shove. But just so you know," She slammed her hands on the table, causing those present to jump, "if you don't finish that whole cake by tomorrow, I will personal come to your house and shove it all down your snarky little throat. Understand?" Ken and his sisters quietly nodded. "Good," Touka said. And they all left when Yoriko returned.

* * *

They arrived at one of the nearby arcades. It wasn't too big. It only was only two floors big. On the first floor were many different claw machines filled with different prizes as well a few games like one that used children's cards and another that had was a rhythm game that one played like a drum. There were escalators that lead up to the second floor that had fighting games, music games, dance games, gun games, and other such games. It even had some games that seemed sort of like gambling machines. The girls immediately moved to the claw machines first. They played them for a few turns each but didn't win much. Yoriko won a small plush toy. Touka also won a bunny rabbit toy. They also somehow ended up winning a bucket full of instant ramen which was immediately given to Yoriko. After that they played a game where one played by beating on a drum in time with the music. The group decided to play this in a tournament which surprisingly Ken one. Though his smug attitude at his win got him kicked in the shin by Touka.

After that they went up to the second floor. There Ken would face one of his greatest defeats in his entire life. One that would always be remembered with embarrassment by the male half-ghoul. It was Ken vs. Yoriko in the arcade version of a BlazeBlue game. Ken lost in 30 seconds. Touka could barely contain her laughter as the game congratulated Yoriko on her perfect KO. "Wow big bro you suck," Kuro stated. Ken pouted, "I do not suck. I'm just out of practice." Shiro raised an eyebrow before asking, "Hey Yoriko, have you ever played this game before?" "No," was the reply. At this point all three of the other girls could no longer help it and began to openly laugh at Ken. And the attempts by Yoriko to cheer up the loser only made Ken feel even more depressed.

After that, they tried some other games. Ken enjoyed a game where one had to touch the screen at the right point and time during a song to earn points while the twins proved to be quite adapt at a DDR game; even growing a small crowd of spectators around them. The other two girls went to one of the shooter games that had the player shooting zombies and other monsters. And while Yoriko was defeated pretty quickly, Touka made was able to score onto the top ten score board before, as she claimed, a "Cheap ass boss character" defeated her. The last game they played was a wake a mole game that ended after Kuro had somehow lodged the hammer in one of the holes without breaking anything and the group decided to silently sneak out rather than try to explain what happened to the manager of the arcade.

Next was Shiro's request. The group eventually headed to a large bookstore close by. Once there, Ken promised Shiro that he'd buy her a couple books. Soon each member of the group was in their element. Yoriko, with a dragged along Touka, was looking at some cooking magazines and recipe books. Ken was searching to see if any new Sen Takatsuki novels had come out while picking out a few good mystery novels as well. Shiro had already grabbed five books she had been planning on getting. While Kuro, slightly bored, had found the manga section was already flipping through this and that; including one dark shounen that she found slightly hilarious that was based around some samurai fighting ghouls in the Meiji Era.

Apparently there was more than just books going on here as in the coffee shop annex of the shop a panel of sorts was started. A group of book experts, though none of the group knew what that really meant, sat at a table in the back of the annex and begin to discuss several new books and even recommend some good titles. As this winded down Ken received a text from Hide asking where he was at. He sent one back to inform him of their location before going off to buy his and Shiro's books. He wasn't too surprised when the human was already waiting outside for them when they left the store. In fact he was pretty certain that Hide had already known and was just using the text as an excuse as to why he met them there.

"Ken! It's great to see you looking better. Seriously you can't believe how worried I was. I was afraid you might stab someone," Hide chided his friend. Ken laughed nervously.  _'Technically I really did stab someone'_  He thought. "Come on Hide do you really think I'm capable of that?" "You know what they say about bewaring the quiet ones and you're the quietest guy I know." Ken sighed. "You know that just not talking all the time is not the same as being quiet." Hide cleared his throat and said, "As much as I'd like to continue our witty banter, I have come here for something important. I wanted to thank you and Touka. You guys found us after we got in that accident right? And even patched us up at Anteiku afterwards. Though Nishio did end up having to be hospitalized. But still I feel like I owe you. Therefore, let me buy you dinner. Come on I know of this great place I know you'll like."

While cursing fate in his mind, Ken forced his mouth into a thin smile. "Don't worry Hide, we did it because it was the right thing to do. There's really no need to pay us back." Touka nodded just a bit too enthusiastically behind him. "No, I really feel like I owe you. Who knows what would have happened to me, Shiro, and Nishio if you guys hadn't been there. Please. I promise you'll enjoy it. You guys could come too." The last sentence directed at the three other girls. Yoriko was thankful and sadly willing to go, locking Touka in having to go. Ken gave in too, realizing that Hide would eventually wear him down so best to just get it over with.

The two twins gave each other worried glances before trying to walk off with Shiro complaining, "Unfortunately we have some homework we forgot to finish for tomorrow so we'll just head on home." But they barely got a step away before two powerful hands grabbed, painfully onto their shoulders. "Oh come on guys, homework can wait. Why don't you let yourselves get treated? Just this once," Ken said. Touka with a similar tone to her voice added, "Besides it's not like our homework is that hard. I'm sure you could finish it later. So come on, let's all go out to eat." The subtext was not missed by the twins.  _We won't let you escape. If we have to suffer through this then so do you.'_ So two happy humans and four dread filled ghouls marched towards the restaurant that Hide had chosen.

* * *

Ken's first reaction to seeing the name of the restaurant was simply,  _'What kind of stupid name is Big Girl anyway?'_ His second thought was that smell was already making him slightly nauseous. Looking to the other three victims, showed him that he was not alone in that aspect; even if they all hid it well. "Great isn't it. This is one of my favorite places to eat around here. The American burgers here are great." Touka snarkly added, "You sure it's just the burgers that you enjoy?" when she saw one of the waitresses walk by. "That's just part of the ambience," Hide replied only to get a kick to the shin by Kuro. Ken grinned and added, "Way ago Hide. You just successfully ticked off at least three girls with one stupid line. What are going to do now?" "I'm gonna go to Disney Land." Hides stupid come back cleared the air as they sat down at their table. They all ordered, with the Kanekis and Touka getting as small and simple meal as possible. Meanwhile Yoriko got hers with a few condiments on it that made Shiro and Kuro squirm as she listed them off to their server and Hide, to Ken's amazement, got a fried egg put on top of his. The food soon arrived. The two humans immediately began to eat.

The ghouls all looked at each other giving unstated good lucks to each other and agreeing that they only needed to eat a few bites to look like they had eaten some. As Ken cut off his first piece and slowly brought it to his mouth, the TV put up in the corner of the room was changed to a channel with just so happened to be running a special on ghouls. "We have receive breaking news from the CCG today. According to their official release, they have now received evidence that the ghoul known as eyepatch, currently in the twentieth ward, is what they have designated as a kakuja. As such a meeting will be held within a month to discuss increasing the threat level of Eyepatch. They encourage all within the area to take caution as this ghoul is extremely dangerous."

At once all four ghouls' heads shot back up and they amazingly had a conversation with just stares.

Touka:  _'KEN!'_

Ken:  _'Hey it's not my fault. I was just trying to save Shiro'_

Shiro:  _'Don't try to put all the blame on me. Cute and little Shiro is completely innocent'_

Kuro _: 'Kuro wasn't even there so don't look at me.'_

Touka:  _'Fuck it. I say let's just blame Nishio. Everyone good with that?'_

' _Sure'_ x 3

Still the damage was done. With the talk show now cutting to that blowhard Dr. Ogura, the whole restaurant had suddenly become interested in the topic. The four decided that they had to finish everything on their plate, no matter how disgusting, or face the chance of getting found out.

"So Dr. Ogura could you tell us. Are these, kakujas as the CCG called them, really that dangerous?" Ken rolled his eyes at the smug face the doctor made. "Kakujas are quite the interesting subspecies of ghoul. You see while most ghouls will be fine with just eating humans, kakujas are ghouls who have decided to feed off their own kind." Some girl on the show gasped. "You mean they really cannibalize other ghouls?" she asked. "Yes, you see when some ghouls engage in cannibalism, they can actually become stronger; sometimes many times over. But this doesn't come without a price. Usually such ghouls begin to become warped in the head. Or should I say more warped in the head?" Ken had to put a hand on Kuro's leg to calm her down after that last joke made her growl a bit in irritation.

Ken noticed that Hide was actually watching the show pretty intently. He forced down another piece of beef before asking his friend, "You interested in ghouls Hide? You've been glued to the TV since they put it on this,"  _'drivel,'_ he mentally added the last friend looked back at him and grinned. "Yeah I am. Ghouls are interesting you know. Another sentient species yet due to their very biology, they find it impossible to live peacefully with humans. I've been reading about them recently and the more I learn the more I want to know. Sometimes I wonder what it'd be like to talk to one. About how it feels to need to kill to live. Or what it's like having to hide yourself just to survive. Hehe, you may laugh but sometimes I wonder, if I ever met one, could I get him to let me just touch his kagune; just to see how it feels. Are they like a muscle or scaly or slimy. You understand?" Before the other two could notice how uncomfortable the ghouls at the table were now feeling, Ken forced out a laugh. Being a ghoul though, his well-honed acting skills caused it to sound realistic. He placed a hand on Hide shoulder and told him, "Give up. Even a small weak ghoul would probably eat you in one bite." This led to the two crossing barbs back and forth again for a few minutes. Even leading to Ken and Hide drawing what they thought a ghoul would look like. Ken was not amused when Hide's looked like him. However the table was shocked next by the lone human female of the group. "I always felt sorry for them. It just seems sad to me; not being able to enjoy all the delicious foods out there like cake or nikujaga or coffee. Only able to eat other people. I don't know if I could live like that." Thankfully Touka was able to bring the conversation away from ghouls by mentioning the upcoming Japanese literature exam for the four girls. Ken was able to even score several burns on Touka in a small act of revenge for her involvement in the cake that Ken now found himself the owner of. The group broke apart after this. The twins and the humans going home, while Ken helped Touka to Anteiku; including holding her hair back during the three times she had to throw up in the bushes on the way there.

* * *

Ken now found himself and Touka alone sitting at the counter in Anteiku. He had decided to wait till Touka got over the earlier gastric adventure before leaving her alone. Granted he too had had to throw up twice on the way over but his half human side was helping him hold up better than the full ghoul he was with. He made them a couple cups of coffee and got some stomach medication to try to help end their suffering faster. "So interesting day. Wasn't it?" Ken started. Touka took another sip before replying, "It was. Though I could have done without that last part." Ken smiled. "He didn't mean it that way." "I know. That and the fact that he's your friend are the only things keeping me from ripping his head off though."

She looked off into the distance of the café wall for a minute before continuing. "Ken, what do you think about what they said?" "About what they thought about ghouls?" he clarified. Touka nodded. The half-ghoul took a deep breath before answering. "Honestly I don't know. I mean what they said was hopeful but I've known humans who would say one thing but do the opposite when the time came. I mean they only said all that because they still see ghouls as this abstract thing over there. Not as their best friend trying their best not to choke on the disgusting food they are eating to look normal."

The silence came again till this time Ken asked, "And what if they did find out. What would you do?" Touka's grip on her cup tightened. "I… I don't …. Know. I mean I know the right answer if Yoriko found out would be to kill her. But I don't know if I could do it. Anyone else, in a heartbeat. But not her." Ken nodded. "It's the same with me and Hide. I think I'd rather run away again then kill him. But then I'd just be making my sisters suffer for my selfish reasons. They've already suffered too much due to me already. I can't let them suffer more due to me but still." Ken chugged his cup. He then held his hand out. "How about a deal?" Touka quirked an eyebrow. "What kind of deal?" she asked. Ken gave her a disarming smile. "An agreement that we will watch each other's backs. If one of our human friends finds out the truth and we or the other feel that they will report us, then we won't hold it against the other to do what is necessary." Touka, after a moment of hesitation, shook Ken's hand. "But only when necessary," she warned. Ken smiled sadly, "But of course."

* * *

**Omake**

A letter to Santa, from young Ken Sasaki

Dear Santa,

How have you been? I have been doing well. I've done all my chores and haven't broken any rules. So as a good boy I only have three wishes for Christmas.

First, I would like some new books. Daddy's library is nice but I've already read the half of it that I can read and I would also love to have some more books of my own. Anything is fine as long as they are good.

Second a nice dinner for mommy. She does so much and deserves to eat what she likes. Even if what she likes is gross.

And last, and most importantly, I want better video game skills. I really really need them to make that jerk, Shirou pay. PAY!

Thank you for all that you've do,

Ken.


	11. Chapter 11

Kureo Mado was happy. Thrilled in fact. Multiple things over the past few months had led to this mood. First his newest quinque had arrived. He could not wait to test it out on the local scum. The second thing that made the man so jovial was that while they had escaped before being properly identified, the CCG was hot on the trail of the mate and offspring of their last target. He was certain that they were among the list of suspects they had compiled and now it was only a matter of time till they figured out which one of them was their quarry. But the final reason for his attitude was also probably the greatest. Like a gift from god, it had fallen into their laps. For in his hands, Mado held the photo of a destroyed alleyway. Sadly due to the isolated nature of the place, they arrived only after local showers had washed away large amounts of the biological evidence. However, to Mado, these unmistakable gashes were enough. That and the miniscule bits of biomatter that had been saved in them had allowed Mado and Amon to connect this to a previous case. The same case that Amon had connected to Eyepatch and the ying-yang sisters. Mado was certain now, that this could be the key to catching the trash that had slipped through their grasps in the 13th ward crackdown.

He continued to look over his papers in glee as the other members of his little 20th ward hunting troop gathered. Amon was even forced to get his attention by clearing his throat when he still did not acknowledge them. He apologized. "Ah sorry Amon. I was just marveling over our little golden egg again." "Um, excuse me Mado, sir. I still not entirely clear on what this new evidence means. Is it really that important?" Mado turned to face the man who asked; Yasunori Nakajima. To Mado, this man did hold promise for a Bureau Investigator but unfortunately didn't show the drive to properly use it. Mado had been contemplating how best to push the man in the right direction. Mado smiled; unsettling the young man. "Right, I can understand how you got confused. I've just been so excited that I forgot to give you a proper explanation and review of recent events. So let's fix that shall we?" He began to pass around the files and photos so that the others could view them as he talked. "First of all let me just say, good job everyone on our last case. Thanks to all of your commendable work, yet another piece of scum has been eliminated. Sadly his little pack did escape and most likely fled farther into the ward. As such, Amon and I will need to start taking on a more proactive part in the 20th ward as a whole. But do not worry, for it's only a matter of time till we take them down too." Mado looked over his men. "As for the stroke of luck we have gotten in the Eyepatch and possibly even the Ying-yang sisters investigations. As you can see from the pictures provided, an alleyway near the Kamii campus was found damaged by something that could produce such large gashes in a relatively short time. Investigation of the damage, as well as what could be collected by the forensic units has confirmed the damage to be ghoul related. In fact this damage has been seen before at least once." "The Yamata no Orochi case," Amon supplied. Mado nodded. Mado cupped his chin in his palm as he reminisced. "Yes I remember that case. Unfortunately I was not able to take part in his takedown. His kagune was top grade material. But one of my friends was the agent in charge. She lost an arm and a fine partner to bring that beast to heel. She still hasn't forgiven herself for letting that snake's hatchlings escape though. But we may be able to finally bring her some closure. As with this data we can infer two things. First is that Eyepatch, at least, is most likely the offspring of Orochi. And second, that he has a kakuja of some sort." "A kakuja?!" the fourth member of their band, Ippei Kusaba, squeaked out. Amon and Mado looked at him. A nice guy that reminded Mado of a bunny rabbit in a way. "Yes, the lowest of all the bottom feeders. Trash that will even devour its own kind. A true monster," Mado explained. Kusaba gulped. "Don't worry too much. After I talked with her, my friend was more than willing to help. I requested the proper tool for this operation and it's already on its way. We have grabbed the end of the thread gentlemen. Now we just have to follow it to our target and bring swift justice upon it."

* * *

Touka was not sure what to make of the scene before her. She had just come in to Anteiku to begin her shift only to find a sweaty Ken draped across one of the tables; a couple of water bottles next to his head. Shiro and a rather overly happy Kuro also sat at the table. So Touka asked, "What's wrong with you?" Ken picked his head up. "Training with the manager." Ken kept it vague purposely as they were still in a public setting. Kuro's grin got wider, "And we got to help today." Her brother shot her a glare but remained silent. Bothered a bit by how happy she was over getting to "help".

* * *

A few hours earlier

Ken was not looking forward this. Granted it was nice to finally get to the next part of his training for controlling his kakuja. Before this it had mostly been a mix of physical training in the form of spars with Yomo or sometimes even the manager and mental training. The mental training had taken up most of his time. It was a mix of things including, breathing exercises, meditation, and even simply talking about his fears and things that upset him with the manager; sometimes with a nice cup of coffee. To be honest, Ken wasn't sure how much it did help. Though he had to admit that he had felt calmer and more in control of himself recently.

But now was the next step. Yoshimura had even gotten the twins involved. The next step proved to be surprisingly simple. To improve Ken's control under stress, Yoshimura wanted him to try to meditate again. Meanwhile the twins, with Kuro being a little too enthusiastic at the idea, would constantly smack him with sticks. Their goal was to try to break his concentration or make him angry. And so Ken was forced to suffer through an hour of this and afterwards had to fight Yomo again. By the end of it all he was tired, both physically and mentally, and thus fell over once he got to an empty table in the café.

* * *

Now

And so Ken stayed till Touka discovered him. He couldn't even gather enough energy to be embarrassed or worried by the looks and whispers of those around him. Unfortunately, as he was reminded by Touka, he had another shift in ten minutes. So Ken got up with a groan and headed for the changing rooms. He was able to take a quick shower and toss on his uniform in the little time he had left. Thankfully, Yoshimura had allowed Ken to run the counter today. Meaning he wouldn't have to walk around or deal with the tables. However he would also have to help in making the food for the human customers as well as attend to all the ones at the counter. One of which was Hide. He had come in while Ken was in the back. Ken couldn't help but grin at his friend's attempts to charm Touka and said barista's attempts at escaping.

Ken quickly made a cup of Hide's favorite coffee and even tried to do some latte art. Hide pursed his lips when Ken gave him it. "Booooo. I wanted Touka to make it with some of her cute foam art." Ken grinned. "And what's wrong with my art oh great Casanova?" Hide looked at the drink and raised an eyebrow. "Art? It looks like just a bunch of squiggles." "It's supposed to be a centipede." "Now that's morbid. Any particular reason my friend has such foul creatures on the brain." "No real reason. Just felt like they don't get enough love. Aren't centipedes creepy cute or something?" Hide paused for a second before throwing a pretend child tantrum. "But I wanted one of Touka's cute bunnies." Ken sighed and grabbed the cup. "Fine," Ken made a new cup. "I'll show you a bunny rabbit." After a few seconds he put it back in front of his friend. "How's that for a rabbit?" Ken asked with a smug smile. Hide looked at before responding, "You know, you could have a future in making abstract art." Ken's grin fell before saying, "Shut up Hide." With the jokes over, they both settled into some nice small talk as Ken went about work. Most of it was about University and what the two would do next time they were both off.

However the conversation soured a bit when Hide brought out the new book he was reading; the book of ghoul dismantling. The sight of it in Hide's hands made Ken think back to the deal he made with Touka only a few nights ago. At the very same counter that Hide now sat at. "I see you weren't lying at the restaurant about being interested in ghouls," Ken said. "Yeah. In a way, ghouls are a mystery that just begs you to solve it. Studying them makes me feel like Sherlock Holmes on the tail of Moriarty at times. Have you read this yet?" Hide asked pushing the book towards his friend. Ken felt irritated just by having the book itself in his presence. The whole thing just felt demeaning. But still he smiled as he answered, "No, I haven't had the pleasure." Though he also thought,  _'Besides I already know pretty much anything that Jackass could have written in his stupid book. Besides it can't be that good with such a stupid title.'_

Ken glanced around the café. He noticed the subtle uncomfortable and unhappy looks by the staff and many of the customers at the book. Obviously he was not alone in his distaste for the thing. However he got worried when more than a few hostile looks went to the human who had brought this heretical book into their sanctuary. He cleared his throat to get Hide's attention. "Look Hide. Could you put that away? It's not really appropriate in a place like this. Where people are trying to relax and eat or drink. They'd rather not be reminded of such things." The look Hide gave him made him nervous. It like he was breaking down his argument and could tell there was something more behind it. Thankfully Hide agreed and after a bit of small talk, left to go do whatever it was that he did with some committee from Kamii. As soon as the door shut behind him, Ken felt a huge weight lift off his shoulders. Touka walked by and gave him a look. She too was worried. Ken continued to work on the outside. But on the inside, every bit of his mind was working on how to get Hide to lose interest in ghouls. Before he lost his life.

* * *

Later in the evening Ken took a small break. The shop was empty currently so Ken made himself a cup of coffee and opened up the Black Goat's Egg to reread again. His sisters had been sent out to get some supplies and Touka was somewhere in the back right now. He was about an eighth of the way through it when the door opened. He smiled and gave the customary greeting to the new guests. There were two of them. The mother returned Ken's smile with her own as she asked, "Oh a new worker?" Ken bowed slightly. "Yes, I'm Ken Kaneki. My sisters and I started working here less than a year ago. It's a pleasure to meet you." "I'm Ryouko Fueguchi. And this is my daughter; Hinami. Come on Hinami, say hello." Ken and the elder Fueguchi turned to the young girl. Rather than greeting Ken, she shyly hid behind her mother. He found it rather cute. It actually reminded him of how Shiro was when they were kids. Before events forced them all to grow up. Ken gently smiled and said, "Hello." After another moment of hesitation she hesitantly bowed and replied with a quiet, "Hello."

Touka suddenly jumped out. "Ryouko-san, Hinami," Touka excitedly greeted. Ryouko replied, "Hello Touka-chan." "The manager is already waiting for you on the second floor. You can go on up." Ken watched as Ryouko thanked Touka and went to the back with her daughter. "Are they VIP's or something," he asked. Touka gave him an annoyed look. "Idiot they just came here to pick up a package." Now Ken understood. "So, they're those kind of customers. But why haven't I seen them before then? I've even gone with Yomo on delivers before too so that can't be it. Did something happen that made it impossible for them to hunt?" Touka glared at him. "You're constant questioning is annoying! Why do you care? It's none of your business anyway!" She then turned away and walked off; leaving a stunned Ken behind. "Well you don't have to get so pissy about it," he shot back at Touka's retreating form. Sighing, Ken took another sip of his coffee. "Well it can't be that big a deal. Can it?"

* * *

It was now late at night. A time that many humans had learned to dread. For this was the time that the apex predator came out. Many ghouls were out on the hunt at this time. Plenty were successful in taking down their unfortunate prey. However one had lost sight of his target. The young boy he had been following since he had left the café early this day had given him the slip. In anger he slammed his fist into the alley wall. "Shit, that brat should have gone through here. I can't believe I lost sight of that pointy haired bastard. Fuck, I'm starved." At this point he spotted an old man walking through one of the secluded backstreets. Deciding he was good enough, the ghoul leapt out of his hiding spot to take down his new prey. The next moment he found all of his limbs slashed apart. As he slammed onto the ground, the old man begin to speak like a teacher in front of a classroom. "Article twelve clause one of the antighoul act a species which special precautions should be taken, known as ghoul are distinct in that it is confirmed that they can produce kakugan and kagune. Same article clause two in the relation to the target group distinguished as ghouls, there are no laws that protect those individuals." The ghoul only had enough time to realize his mistake before the sounds of flesh ripping echoed into the night.

A younger man appeared soon afterwards caring another silver suitcase. "Sorry I'm late. The package only just arrived." He looked down at the body and asked the older man, "What happened here?" The older man waved him off. "I was just attacked by a rather foolish ghoul. Never mind that Amon. Let me see it." Amon handed the case to his mentor. He grabbed the briefcase like a child on Christmas. Grinning he pressed the release. Kusanagi began to activate.

* * *

Omake:

Kusaba was looking at the picture they had of eyepatch. Curious he asked his freind Nakajima, "Hey why do you think he choose an eyepatch." Nakajima looked at Kusaba. "Why ask me? Probably a fetish or something." "But what if hes hiding something. Like a cybernatic eye." "Thats just stupid. I'd rather go with he only has one eye. like a cyclops."

Amon came over. "What kind of stupid thing are talking about?" he asked. Kusaba grinned. "Just talking about eyepatch. What do you think he hides under his right eye?" Amon thought for a bit before pulling out a pen and paper. He drew a picture of eyepatch without his mask; as a girl. "This?" "How does a mask change your sex?!" Nakajima exlaimed.

However Kusaba, suddenly had an idea. "What if his face was like Inspector Mado's?" They all three looked at the bug eyed man working at his desk. All three of them thought,  _'That really does fit.'_

Mado didn't know why, but something made him want to double the training regimen for his unit.


	12. Chapter 12

"My mask?" Ken had been drying some of the coffee cups that had just been washed when the manager had approached him. "Yes," Yoshimura continued, "I remember you said that it had been damaged during that incident with Rize. Have you been able to get it repaired yet?" Ken shook his head. "No. Unfortunately due to the fallout of that time and just being busy recently I haven't had time to do it. Come to think of it, I also need to get the twins refitted for new masks also. They don't wear them much but the last time they did, Kuro complained about it being a bit tight in places. The problem is I don't know where to actually go. All my mask business was done at Helter Skelter whenever I spotted Uta there. But it's a fifty/fifty chance that he'll be there." Yoshimura hmmed. Ken noticed that he seemed agitated by something. "Touka," he called as the young girl walked by, "Can you go with Kaneki to Uta's to get his and his sisters' masks redone on your next day off?" Touka made an unpleasant face. "Hah?! Why do I need to spend my day off with him?!" She pointed at Ken. Ken frowned. "And what's wrong with me? I'm great company." "Shut up Bakaneki." Before this could turn into a full blown fight, the manager cleared his throat and got their attention again. "He might get lost if he goes on his own." "Hey," Ken interjected again. "I have a good sense of direction." He paused for a bit before adding, "Is this supposed to be some weird attempt to get me and Touka to hook up or something?" Ken wished he could have taken a photo of Touka's face when he asked that. Yoshimura laughed into his hand. "No, not intentionally. But I would not be against it either." He smiled after that statement but it fell as he moved on. "But the real reason is that it would be safer and faster to have someone guide you there instead of just letting you find your way there. And we can't afford any unnecessary risks right now either." "Why?" Touka asked. The air in the café seemed to grow still. "Doves have been spotted in the ward. There have already been casualties."

Both younger ghouls fell silent. Touka was the first to react. "Why here? Why now?" she asked. Touka looked at Ken suspiciously. The young man knew that she was accusing him of attracting them here. Or at least his family; namely Rize. The sad fact was that he couldn't deny it. However it was Irimi who came to his rescue. "While they may be interested in our dear Eyepatch, he's not the main reason they came. Their main targets are most likely Ryouko and Hinami," the older woman informed them. Yoshimura confirmed it when they both looked to him. "Fuck." That one word by Touka was enough. If the doves were after those two then they had to be prepared. Touka turned to Kaneki. "You. Saturday. Be at the Shinjuku station, east entrance. If you're late I'll kill you." Ken smiled and saluted. "Yes ma'am." Touka huffed and walked away.

* * *

Ken sighed as he looked at the clock on his phone. It was already almost two hours since the time Touka had arranged to meet. Few things really irritated him. Messing with his family or friends was on the top of that list. But punctuality was not too low on the list either. Especially since it had been drilled into him since he was young that timing could be the difference between success and death.  _'I swear I'll get back at you for this Touka.'_ Ken decided. As he was planning all the pranks and tricks he could use on her, Touka came behind him and kicked him in the butt. Ken turned around and scowled at her. "Took you long enough," he accused but Touka just smirked at her little victory before turning away and heading to their destination. "You better keep up because I'm not gonna wait on you, jackass," she called back. So Ken followed; noticing the interested looks they both got from people walking by. He begrudgingly had to admit that Touka did deserve them. She did have the looks even if her personality was rotten.

They arrived at a shop with the name HySy painted on the front. Ken immediately felt that the design of the place reminded him of Uta. Touka knocked on the door and then entered without waiting for an answer. The shop appeared empty. "Uta-san. You here?" Touka called out as they began to look around. Ken looked at a familiar mask on the wall.  _'Yep, definitely Uta. I'd recognize that creepy type of design anywhere,'_ he thought. He didn't hear what Touka said as he noticed something covered by a sheet. His curiosity peeked, Ken ripped the sheet off. "Bah," stated the man under the sheet. "What was that for Uta?" Ken asked. "I thought I'd scare you a bit," replied Uta. Ken grinned at him. "It'll take more than that to surprise me." Uta put a finger to his mouth and answered, "Is that so?" He then pointed up to the roof. "How about this then?" "What are you talking about?" Ken asked as he looked up. He only had a second to notice the grinning Itori hanging in the rafters before said she-ghoul fell down on top of him. "Waaah!"

Touka could barely keep a straight face when Ken let out that half-scream, half-yelp. Or when the now revealed Itori began to hug and, for lack of a better word, cuddle with the distraught younger half ghoul. "Oh! It's been too long Ken-chan. You should really show up more often at my bar. I miss you and the twins. Speaking of which, where are they? I can't get enough of those cute little twerps either." When Ken finally reached a point where he could breathe, he wiggled out of Itori's grip and asked, "Why are you here? And don't call me with chan." Itori grinned and bounced back with, "Is there a problem with me going to meet a good friend? I'm not a NPC from some RPG, Ken. I'm not bound to one place simply to give quest details. I have the ability, NO THE RIGHT, to go where I may choose and give important information to who I want." Ken stared at here before simply saying, "Ok." Itori giggled at his flustered answer.

Ken shook his head. "Anyways Uta," he addressed the other man in the room. "Yes?" came the response. Ken took a moment to pull out the three masks from his small bag. He placed them in front of Uta and Itori. "I need you to repair or replace my mask and a resize for my sisters." "I can't resize them without measurements." Ken wordlessly pulled out a sheet with the new measurements for the other two and handed it to Uta. "Booo. You should have just brought the two little kiddos with you. It would have been fun to see them again. Especially teasing Kuro about her chest size again," teased Itori. "Please don't start a fight in my shop. I got it just how I like it," Uta replied as he looked over the sheet. "You're no fun," she shot back. "We need these as soon as possible, Uta," Touka stated. Uta got up and head to some cabinets. "Because of the doves right? They used to leave us alone with the ward being so docile. Was it Rize that attracted them?" "That fuck'n gourmet has been pushing his luck too." Ken noticed that Touka didn't say anything about the possibility that the Fueguchis brought them when they fled into the ward.

Uta motioned for Ken to sit down so he could measure him too. "Do you have any allergies? To rubber or metals?" He asked. Ken arched an eyebrow, "No. And why are you asking? You should know this already." "Consider it inspiration." Itori laughed at Uta's explanation and Ken just sighed and gave up. "Want to keep it the way it is?" "Yes, gotta respect the eyepatch." "Got any lovers?" "No. And why the plural?" Itori grinned. "Now now, Ken don't act all coy. You were quite the popular boy. Still are actually. I wouldn't be surprised if you were some harem king," she teased. "Well sorry to disappoint." She sighed. "You see, this is why people started rumors about you and Rize or your two cute little girls." Ken's eyes narrowed. "And you heard the rumors about what happened to the ones who started those rumors right?" "Stop trouncing on a girl's fun." Ken shook his head.

"What about Touka?" Ken sputtered at Uta's question; thankful that the girl in question was looking at the masks on the other side of the shop. "No. There is no way that'd happen. Even, if I did want that kind of girlfriend, she'd kick my reproductive organs up into my body if I asked." "Kyahahaha! I'd love to see that. I think you'd make a really cute girl; a true Ken-chan. And don't worry." Itori seductively rubbed her hand across the young boy's cheek. "This onee-chan will show you all the pleasures of the world of Yuri if that comes to pass." "Can we please stop talking about my possible future forced sex change now?!" Touka shot Ken a confused look as Itori just laughed at the whole thing.

"Well anyway onto more important matters," she moved on. "Ken, you haven't been sneaking back into the thirteenth ward to do a little hunting now and again have you?" Itori asked. Ken cocked an eyebrow again. "No. I have not really left the twentieth much since I moved. Not only that but I've been keeping a pretty low profile and avoiding hunting as well. It's not that hard with Anteiku's help. Why do you ask?" Itori's face turned serious and in Ken's book, that was never a good thing. "Well there have been multiple attacks there in the last few weeks. All the attacks look a lot like your or Rize's handy work. And the only guy not to die immediately supposedly stated your title before passing away under CCG care. My sources say that while they don't really believe it's you, the doves are keeping tabs on the attacks in your file. And some of the ghouls in the area are pretty up in arms over it too. A few of the more aggressive ones have even been pushing the idea of attacking the twentieth ward in retaliation or at least dragging you and possibly the girls too back to the thirteenth for punishment. Ken gripped a fist. "Oh, they can try. But I'm telling you it's not me." "That's what I thought. A witness to one of the attacks claimed it was a girl anyway. So Ken I have a request. Do you mind looking into this for me? After all it is your reputation that is on the line right?" Ken thought about it for a moment before agreeing. "Give me some time to prepare. I'll try to get out there once all of this dove stuff is settled." After the measurements were taken and a bit more small talk, including a threat by Itori that if Ken "didn't let Touka ride him like a cowgirl or ride her like a bitch in heat by the next time they met," she would force the young boy to lose his virginity one way or another, Ken and Touka left for Anteiku.

* * *

Meanwhile in the spare apartment that Yoshimura was able to get them, Ryouko and Hinami were resting. Hinami was asleep with her head in her mother's lap. Ryouko meanwhile, rubbed her daughter's head as she looked at a mask. The mask was a very nondescript white one. She picked it up as Hinami begin to cry again for her lost parent. She resolved herself to what she had to do.

* * *

Omake

Being both off and shop itself winding down for the night, they both ended up just relaxing in the breakroom. Touka gave Ken a glare. "Oi, go make me some coffee," she ordered. "Oh and why should I do that?" he shot back. Touka smirked and answered, "Who was it, who took time out of her day off to so graciously help you get to Uta's? It's the least you could do." Ken was about to argue until a brilliant thought crossed his head. He still needed to get back at her for being late.

He grinned and bowed to Touka. "Right away, my mistress." Ken quickly made a couple nice cups of coffee. Before he brought it over to her tough, he slipped in a few of the creamers and sugars that humans like to put in it. He mixed it, making sure to keep its black color so as not to arouse Touka's suspicion. He grinned innocently as he handed her the cup and waited. Touka brought the cup to her lips and took a deep sip before spitting it back out; her face squished into one of distaste. "Damn it Ken!" she shouted; still coughing and spitting. Ken simply laughed at her. "That's for making me wait on you this afternoon. Next time try to be on time." She chased him out the shop and down the block till he was able to slip away.


	13. Chapter 13

A chill ran through the ward. It appeared that it was going to be a cold night. As such most, both human and ghoul had chosen to stay in for the night. But a few had decided to bundle up and go out into the frost of the night. One such being Ryouko Fueguchi. Tonight she stood before a grave. Her face uncertain as she clutched the mask she had been holding onto since they fled only a few days ago.

* * *

The next day Ken was sitting at a table with his human friend, Hide. They were at an outside table on the Kamii campus. Ken was taking another sip of his coffee when Hide observed, "You're looking a lot better recently." Ken looked at his friend. "Really now?" "Yeah for a while now you've really been out it; like super depressed and angsty. I was afraid my best friend was turning into an emo." Ken grinned. "Don't worry then Hide. I assure you I am the happiest person you'll ever meet." "Whatever. More importantly has Touka said anything about me?" After taking another sip, the half-ghoul answered, "Sorry, my friend. No luck there."

As Hide agonized and Ken watched his friend agonize, a young woman approached the two. "Nagachika-kun correct?" she asked Hide. "Yes?" He answered. "That's you right?" she asked again; as if unsure. Hide looked at here before replying, "Ah, you're." "You know her?" Ken interrupted Hide. As he took another sip of his coffee Hide answered, "Of course she's Nishio's girlfriend." Ken spat out his coffee all over his friend. "Gross." "Wait! That Nishio?! How did that jerk get a girlfriend?!" Ken demanded. Ignoring the shocked boy, Nishio's girlfriend opened her purse and pulled out a disc and handed it to Hide. "Oh! It's the material for the school festival! Thank you so much!" Hide yelled. The woman turned around. "I only came to deliver that." She started to leave only for Hide to stop her with, "Ano, do you know where Nishio is hospitalized at. We would like to visit him." However, rather than answer, she ran away. Hide was confused. "Maybe I upset her somehow."

But Hide was not the only one to be confused. Ken too found himself stumped as well. That woman was definitely human. Her scent was unmistakable. But if so, then there was no way that she could be Nishio's girlfriend. Could she?  _'That guy didn't strike me as a human lover. But still she has to be close for him to trust her with this. And judging by the way she fled, she must know something. But if so then she could be threat. And if she is a threat, then I'll have to deal with it soon.'_ His thoughts were interrupted by his friend. "Yo Ken. What's with you? You had a really scary look on your face. Like you were planning a murder or something." Ken tried to laugh it off and touched his chin. "What are you talking about?" Ken replied. "I'm not angry at all. Just lost in thought is all. My sisters have a pretty big test coming up pretty soon and I think I'll be forced to help them study for it." Hide smiled at him. "Good luck with that," Was all Hide said.

* * *

Kuro was the only member of her family working currently. Shiro had gotten their brother to come with her to Touka's place to study. Kuro didn't feel like studying, so she decided to go to work instead. Besides even if she wasn't that interested in literature, it didn't mean that she was that bad at it. So she decided to wing it on the test and hope for the best. She listened to the conversations among the guests as she made coffee. As the clientele were all ghouls right now, the main topic among the café was the doves. It took everything in her to remain calm as she heard of all the ghouls that they had executed. Granted she didn't know pretty much any of them and a bunch of them probably deserved it. But still, she knew that whether they deserved it or not didn't matter to them. Just like with her family, just being a ghoul was enough to put you on their kill list. Scenes from that day flashed across her mind again. She started to shake a little as she worked. "Kuro-chan," The voice of the manager calling her name made her jump in fright. She couldn't even get calm enough to get upset over the use of chan. "Yes," she responded. Yoshimura looked at her for a minute before asking, "Are you okay?" Kuro tried to show a happy face. "I'm completely fine sir." She didn't think the manager bought it though. "I just wanted to compliment you on doing such a good job." Kuro panicked a bit. "No, it's not that big a deal. Besides it's not like I'm alone here. Koma has been a huge help," she flustered. "Don't be so hard on yourself. You have been working so hard. You deserve such compliments. But that's not the only reason I wanted to speak with you." "It isn't?" Yoshimura smiled. "No. First Uta called. It seems that he's doing well on your masks. They should be ready soon." That was a huge relief for Kuro. She felt exposed without it with doves prowling the ward. They need them so that never again would they have to suffer such a loss again. So that they wouldn't lose where they belonged again. "The other reason is that I have a request. Are you free tonight Kuro?" Kuro thought about it. "Yeah, I don't have anything really planned and if I go straight home I bet my big bro will just force me to study with them. Do you need me to go shopping or something?" "I'd like it if you could go get some food supplies for us. Usually I'd leave this to Touka or your brother but seeing as how they are busy tonight." "Really!" Kuro shouted excitedly; causing some of the ghouls nearby to glance at them. After apologizing she continued, "I'd love to go. I've wanted to go for a while now but big bro hasn't let me since it's dangerous. Oh this is so exciting." Yoshimura smiled again. "I'm glad. Don't worry I've already sent a message to Yomo." "Eh. Yomo?"

* * *

Kuro waited under a bridge for her ride; her excited mood now slightly deflated. She was still happy to get to do something exciting but she didn't look forward to doing it with Yomo. The man scared her a bit. He didn't talk much and it was hard to get an angle on what he was thinking. Kuro was bad with those kinds of people. So she psyched herself up.  _'Today, I'll crack the enigma that is Yomo,'_ she decided.

A simple black car pulled up and Yomo came out; simply staring at Kuro. Already feeling uncomfortable, Kuro tried to start up a conversation. "Heya Yomo. How have you been? Today I'm gonna be the replacement for my…" "Already heard about it. Hurry up and get in," Yomo interrupted. Kuro felt defeated right off the bat but she did as she was told.

As they drove, Yomo still didn't talk. Though he did stop Kuro from turning on the radio. The silence was killing the most talkative of the Kaneki trio so she decided to try to get Yomo to speak again. "So, Yomo. Is this your car?" Yomo answered with a flat "No." "Then whose is it then?" she tried one more time. But this time Yomo didn't even answer. Kuro crossed her arms and leaned back into her seat.  _'Worst road trip ever,'_ thought Kuro.

Eventually they stopped at a cliff. Kuro noticed another car parked nearby. Hopefully they weren't just here to pick up packages from whoever's car this was. Yomo walked past the empty car though and went to the guardrail. Kuro followed. "What do we do now?" she asked but to no avail again as Yomo remained silent. Upset, Kuro leaned on the guard rail. Finally Yomo spoke with, "Be careful, that parts broken," just as Kuro started to fall. She had barely enough time to right herself so that she fell on her butt rather than her face when she crashed. "Then say so sooner asshole!" she screamed back up the cliff.

After letting a few cracked bones heal, she started to look around. The forest down here, with all the fog was quite creepy. She also smelled something; the scent of a human body. She soon found it; a rather ordinary looking man. Yomo jumped down and spotted her with the body; about to poke it with a stick. She quickly threw the stick back into the woods. "So you found him. That car that was parked up there is probably his. A lot of humans die here of their own free will. The reason humans don't know about his place is because we dispose of everything." "Even the cars?" Kuro asked half-jokingly only to get a glare from Yomo. He handed her a bag. "Put the stuff I hand you from his body in here," he ordered. "Hai." As Yomo prayed over the body, Kuro looked at the dead man again. "Hey Yomo." She didn't get a response but kept taking. "You ever wonder why they do it. The humans who come here." Yomo looked at the girl. She had a puzzled look on her face. "They have a lot of reasons I suppose." The girl looked at him even more confused. "Doesn't make sense to me really. I mean aren't they the lucky ones. They were born humans. They get to eat all sorts of things and not feel sick the moment it touches their tongues. They don't have to put on a mask or act to simply live day by day. Not a single one of them has to watch their love ones get ripped apart by a guy with some medieval weapon that could be made out another one of your family members. They don't have to kill someone or desecrate a corpse just to fill their bellies. They don't have to live each day being hunted like a beast." By now there were tears in her eyes. "Honestly it doesn't seem fair to me. For them to waste what we can't even begin to dream about having. Probably over something stupid like unrequited love or failing grades or not getting some promotion." She rubbed her sleeve across her eyes and then simply stated, "Let's get this over with."

* * *

It was on the way home, Kuro still a bit upset, that they spotted Ryouko walking back home. Yomo stopped the car and approached her. "Fueguchi." She turned around and smiled at Yomo. "Ah Yomo. I didn't expect to see you around here." Yomo answered, "You were told not walk around alone. I'll escort you so get in the car." She followed Yomo and was pleasantly surprised to see Kuro in the front seat. "Kuro-chan?" Kuro replied, "Hey Mrs. Fueguchi. Are you doing well?" "Yes, it's such a nice night today, isn't it? Why are you with Yomo?"

Yomo entered and started the car. "She's here helping me with a job while Touka and Ken are off." Ryouko smiled at Kuro. "I see, such a hard worker. Thank you for the help." Kuro waved her off and replied, "You don't have to thank me. It's my job after all. Besides if anyone should thank me it's Yomo. The killjoy would barely talk with me the entire time. And even let me fall off a cliff." Yomo ignored her and continued to speak to Ryouko. "This is not just about you and your daughter anymore." Ryouko sadly replied, "You're angry aren't you? That I went to visit my husband's grave?" "I'm not concerned with you going to where your husband is. It's the fact that you went out alone without even speaking to us first. Don't forget that it was you that attracted the doves here." "I know. I went to bury his mask tonight. I can't keep relying on him forever. If I act like a spoiled child then Hinami can't rely on me can she?" Kuro smiled at the mother ghoul. It made her think back to her mother. Though human, she still took care of them all. They were able to get Ryouko home without incident. However they didn't notice the men who had been tailing her through most of the day, who saw her enter the car, and were also staking out her apartment.

* * *

At the CCG building of the twentieth ward, another meeting was taking place the day after Kuro rode with Yomo. Amon rattled off the observation data on several suspect ghouls in the ward. None of the suspects has taken any overly suspicious moves yet but Mado felt that some still deemed further investigation. Finally the topic of Ryouko Fueguchi came up. "What about number 723?" Mado asked Kusaba. "Ah… Yes. The suspect got on a train and got off at the fifth station. She then transferred and head towards site B. After losing sight of her, I found her again at site C in front of a stone like monument thing. She stayed for about ten minutes before heading out on foot only to be met by an associate and rode back with him to her home." Amon glared at the young investigator. "Did you get the license plate number?" he asked. Kusaba gulped. "Sorry I wasn't able to get the number." Amon looked back at his files. "Well then, the stone monument was actually a grave. Correct? If the items in the site are from ghoul 696 then that means that 723 is also confirmed as a ghoul. Did you look into this?" Amon did not like the looks the two Bureau Investigators gave him. "Are you saying I should have dug up a grave? I couldn't do that. It's immoral." Kusaba complained. "The way the main office and we do things are different," chimed in Nakajima. Amon was disgusted with this. To let something so petty allow these monsters to escape their just punishment. Unacceptable. So Amon looked them both in the eye and said, "Morals? With that kind of "morality" you can't crush evil! It will spread and destroy more lives! We are justice! We are morality!"

Later on, Mado and Amon were walking through the offices. "Such carelessness," Amon observed. "They lack motivation or sense of duty. How dare they take this job so causally." Mado was equally upset. "It's because of that that the ghouls have been able to breed in this ward Amon. These beasts thrive off of our ineptitude. Still don't let it get you too down. After all isn't that why we are here. Besides think of it this way my boy. The flame of righteous indignation burns in you. All you have to do is spread it through this ward. Your hellfire will spread to others who wish for a just world. A torch is needed to light a fire right Amon?" "Mado." "Even I've been affected by your influence. I too carry a torch in my heart. For now though let's get some rest. Goodnight." Amon watched his senior leave. However as he contemplated what to do while heading back to their office, he spotted one of the orphans that the CCG took care of walk by. This depressing sight strengthened his resolve. Rather than resting Amon quickly ran off to do what was necessary to assure peace for mankind.

* * *

Amon was at the grave within the hour. He immediately started to dig; barely taking the time to take off his coat. All he could think about while digging was how wrong this world was and how it must be all the fault of the ghouls. He kept digging and digging till he found it. He pulled out the mask of ghoul 696. _'So 723 is a ghoul'_ he realized with a content face.

* * *

Omake: lessons

Hotaru sat down on the park bench and passed her daughter, Kuro, one of two coffees she'd gotten from the vending machine. She ignored the pointed glances that she got from the older women who walked by. Why should they care that she gave her daughter coffee. After all it was one of the few things they could really bond over. Kuro literally couldn't eat anything else normal and despite going through it eating it twice for her kids, Hotaru hadn't really gotten a taste for human flesh that the rest of her family had. So coffee was always that the family drank together. Especially at times like now. Kuro popped the top and took a big swig. Her clothes were a bit roughed up and dirty as well as herself. This was due to the fight Kuro had been in at school today. Her mother had been called in and been forced to take her home as part of a week of suspension. The principal had basically put the whole blame on her kid, but to Hotaru it seemed a little to neat. Not to mention she knew Kuro was not stupid enough to start a fight for no reason. So took a sip of her own and asked, "So tell me what really happened Kuro."

Her daughter growled a bit as she tightened her grip on her can. "That bitch Mari and her lackeys were picking on Shiro again. It was bad enough they were shoving her and calling her mean things. But they even took her eyepatch. I had to act fast before her eye turned and revealed what we are to everyone in the class. They would have the CCG on us in a matter of minutes. Not to mention you and dad or big bro a few classes over would be in trouble too." "And you think beating up six girls, including breaking one's arm was the right thing to do?" Hotaru asked. "Yes," came the reply. "They deserved it. It was all their fault and yet I'm the one getting punished. Stupid faculty is all on her side while they always act like I'm the troublemaker. I even was going easy on them so that I didn't reveal my ghoulish strength." Hotaru laughed. "But it is the truth. I mean you've pranked several of the members of the staff as well as sneaking out of cleaning and sleeping through classes. You're a true bad girl." Kuro grimaced. "It's not my fault that their lessons are boring or that they can't take a joke. And why do I have to clean the place. Isn't that the janitor's job?"

Hotaru smirked at her fuming little girl. She rubbed her head; messing up her hair. "Look Kuro. I'm proud of you for standing up for your sister and protecting the family secret but next time try to be a little more discrete. For example, just take Shiro and run. Or avoid the little devils." When Kuro still looked unconvinced Hotaru decided to give her the ultimate answer. "Of course if you're still up for a fight then just wait. You won't get in trouble if it's not on the school grounds right?" said Hotaru with her best evil smile. Kuro looked at her mother with a stunned expression that soon morphed into her own evil grin. "That's true." And so their chat ended with both of them laughing evilly as they drank their coffee.


	14. Chapter 14

Mado was quite proud of his partner. "So you went to get this alone last night?" he rhetorically asked. In front of him was the mask Amon had discovered in the grave; now sealed in an evidence bag. He smiled at Amon. "As expected of the top student at the academy." Amon just judgingly stared at the other two men at the table. "I only did what was necessary as a ghoul investigator." He turned back to his mentor and stated, "With this we can finally make our move." Mado grabbed his quinque. "Ah, the stage has been set. All the props and actors have been prepared. All that's left is to start the climax of this man versus beast tale." He started to lovingly cradle the suitcase it was in; a disturbed smile across his face. "Then we can watch the fantastic reaction of our prey when they see my new toy."

* * *

The door to Anteiku opened and in walked the Kaneki family. Ken was in one of his usual outfits while Shiro and Kuro were both in their school uniforms. "Damn it! We're gonna be late!" Kuro basically screamed as she immediately started to look for something around the shop for something. Thankfully the shop was largely empty. The few customers at the moment were ones that Ken recognized as ghouls; relaxing him slightly. He didn't want to admit it to the others, but since he had heard of doves being in the ward, Ken had been wary of his sisters or even himself being around humans a lot. This worry was doubled by the fact that Uta still was not finished with their masks. He had said it would still take a couple days; complaining about artist block or something.

"It's not here either," Kuro groaned. As she pouted, Koma came over to where Ken was watching Kuro and Shiro was reading one of her new books. "What's the matter with Kuro today?" Ken answered, "It seems that Kuro has started to get seriously interested in baking. She's always liked to look at human food; from behind a window or across a room. But being worn down by Yoriko, she's finally started to take steps into actually learning how to cook and get near the stuff. She borrowed some book about cooking from that human but apparently left it here last night during her shift. So she forced us to rush over here before Shiro and her need to be at school. Even though I offered to pick it up when I had my shift today." Koma just shook his head. "Well unfortunately I haven't seen it since I've been here. Could you have left it in the dressing room?" he asked.

Kuro got up and grabbed Shiro; pulling her to the women's changing room. "Big bro," she called, getting her brother's attention. "Go upstairs and look for it there," she ordered. "Ma'am yes ma'am," he teasingly said as she disappeared through the back door. Ken right afterwards went upstairs and began look for it. He didn't see it. Granted Ken had only checked one room so far but it's not like Kuro would be in many of the others here; especially holding her book. The only one probably being the break room. So he headed to the room that served as a place to rest and have meetings among the ghouls that ran this café. When he reached the door he heard the sound of clinking silverware. He paused for a second confused, but decided that it wouldn't be that big deal to go in. So he opened the door and was surprised to see Hinami in the room; fork still next to her face with a piece of blood dripping meat. Their eyes met for a second. Ken smiled at the young girl. "Good morning Hinami chan. I didn't expect you to be here today. Is your mom picking up another package or something today? Ah that's right. I still need to find the book. Excuse me Hinami. I just need to check and see if that silly Kuro left her book in here."

He entered the room and began to look around. He occasionally glanced at the young girl in the room. She was a nice but shy girl. While he had had met with her mother a decent amount and got along well with her, the young girl always seemed to be too afraid to approach him. He noticed that she had stopped eating and was now beat red; her hands tightly grasping her skirt. He was about to ask what was wrong when he heard a familiar voice yell out, "Big bro!" He looked up to see Kuro and Shiro. He noticed that she had her book but not the embarrassed blush she now wielded. "Oh so you found i…." He didn't finish as said book came flying at him and impacted his face hard enough for something in it to crack. "Ow! What the hell Kuro?!" he asked only for the younger girl to run in and grab her book and him by the ear; pulling him out of the room. After they left Shiro simply bowed to Hinami. "Sorry for the rude interruption by our older brother. Please take your time and enjoy the food," she apologized and then shut the door.

Back downstairs Ken grimaced. "So you saw her eating? That's not good Ken. Girls really don't like to be seen like that. You should apologize," Koma explained. Ken turned to his two sisters with a glare. "Huh. This is news to me. I don't remember us ever having this problem." Shiro decided to answer her upset brother. "First, you're our older brother. It's not as big a deal with family members. And second you should know that me and Kuro are not really into a lot of ghoul femininity. After all our female role model was a human." Kuro nodded. "Yeah we didn't really get taught proper femghoul stuff till after we lost mom and dad. But even if you didn't know that you should have at least remembered how shy the little girl is. She's probably said less than a hundred words to me since we met. And yet you just walked right in there on her." Ken sighed. "Ok ok. I get it. I messed up. I'll take her up a cup of coffee as a peace offering later. But you two should really get going. You got school in another ten minutes." And so the two girls left while Ken made one of the nicest cups of coffee he had ever made. And began to climb the stairs.

* * *

Kaneki reached the door to the room again and this time knocked. "Hinami can I come in?" he asked. He opened it after he heard her say so. He noticed that she was now only reading. She had cleaned up what she was eating. He placed the coffee cup in front of her. "Please accept this as an apology from this stupid oaf that would be so rude as to intrude on you while dinning. It's on the house. Well do enjoy and I'll be downstairs if you need anything," he apologized. As he turned to leave though, he heard her try to get his attention. "Is something wrong?" he asked; genuinely concerned. "Um, which one are you?" Ken realized almost immediately what she meant. But before he could answer she started to back pedal apologizingly saying, "Ah, sorry. Never mind. I didn't mean to be so rude. It's just that you and your sisters smell different. Usually even if they are far away, I can tell who is like us but your smell isn't like either but also like both." Ken started to laugh lightly at the girl. "Don't worry. Being curios is a good thing. And nice job noticing that our sent is different. For some reason, most ghouls seem to miss that. But to answer your question, I'd have to say I'm closer to what you are. We're hybrids since our father was a ghoul but our mother was a human. Despite how amazing that sounds it's not really that great. We have weaker senses then other ghouls and can handle human foods better but that's about it. Still have to eat meat and worry about the doves same as you. Sorry for being such a weird guy." She seemed to shrink into herself. "It's not weird, just stunning," she hesitantly responded.

Ken then noticed the book she was reading. Excitedly he picked up the book. "Hey it's Monochrome Rainbow. You read Takatsuki's work? That's really impressive. Even when you realize that Monochrome Rainbow is a collection of short stories so it's relatively easy to read. Which one do you like the best?" He asked; completely absorbed in his element. "Summer Dairy is a good one. But so is Resentment." The child ghoul scrunched her face as she answered, "Koyotokiame." At first Ken was confused till he realized she was saying the kanji wrong. "Oh you mean Sayoshigure. It's the prototype of the Black Goat's Egg. It's scary but really good."

Seeing how he seemed to know how to read them, Hinami began to ask him how to read several kanji in book and slowly come out of her shell. No longer was Ken just a stranger but a smart friendly young man that she could talk to. Ken was just happy to finally be able to connect with the girl. Though seeing her write down the Kanji he explained to her made him realize that she wasn't able to go to school. This saddened the boy. She was such a smart kid and so sweet and innocent. But simply because she wasn't human, she was unable to go to school or experience a truly fulfilling life. He decided then and there, that he would make sure to teach all she wanted and give her the education the world denied her.

* * *

"So you will get your own food from now on?" Yoshimura asked Ryouko. The female ghoul nodded her head. "Yes, I need to take responsibility for myself and Hinami. I can't just keep relying on you and Anteiku anymore. Hurting humans is too dreadful and impossible for me to do but if I use Yomo's and Ken's method then I feel I could get by. Thank you for all the help you've given us." The manager waved her off. "It's fine. That's is why Anteiku exists after all. To help all ghouls in need. When you're ready, I'm sure Ken or Yomo would be willing to show you where you can manage to find some bodies you can use. And don't forget, if you ever run into trouble we are always here to help you." Ryouko smiled and bowed; truly thankful to the older ghoul.

They both went upstairs to fetch Hinami, only to find her still talking with the male Kaneki about how to read different kanji. Ryouko was happy that her shy daughter had been able to finally break the ice between her and one of the new hires from the café. "Hinami, it's time to go." The young girl jumped up at the sound of her mother. "Mother," she squealed in delight and ran over to hug her. "Kaneki taught me a lot of new words," she reported. Ryouko petted her head. "Oh my, that's so nice of him. Thank you so much Kaneki," "It's no problem. I had a lot of fun too." Yoshimura looked out the window and asked, "It looks like it is going to rain. Would you like us to lend you an umbrella?" Ryouko graciously accepted it. As they were leaving, Hinami turned to Ken and said, "Thank you. Please teach me some more next time." The half ghoul smiled. "Sure."

* * *

Later, as the two female ghouls were walking down the street, the rain was falling down decently hard. "Wow it's coming down pretty hard isn't it? Good thing we have an umbrella huh," Ryouko observed. "It's called Shuu mom! Kaneki taught me about it." Hinami happily exclaimed to her mother. "Fufufu, he sounds like a very knowledgeable man." Hinami was looking forward to the next time she could meet her new big brother. "He said he would teach me more next time."

However their happy revelry was interrupted when they heard footsteps behind them. Ryouko just knew that they were after them. Especially when her daughter confirmed her worries. They picked up speed in their walk; just short of a full on run. The pursuers kept pace. "Hinami, can you tell who is chasing us?" Ryouko asked as she did her best to figure out a way to escape. "There are two men." However she soon stop; nearly causing her mother trip over. "What is this smell?" Hinami asked no one. In front of them were two more men who were obviously doves. The older one started walking forward. "Dreary day isn't it? The rain impedes my ability to do my job and decreases my field of vision. But sometimes rain can be a good thing. After all it washes away all sorts of filth. Like pollution, dirt, and screams of dying pigs. Could you spare some of your time for us, Mrs. Fueguchi? We would like to ask you about this?" he pulled out a bag with a familiar mask.

As curious onlookers started to gather, trying to figure out what was happening, the younger dove stepped forward. He pulled out his badge and flashed it to the crowd. "We are ghoul investigators. It's dangerous here so we need everyone to leave here immediately." Hinami grabbed onto her mother's leg as the crowd's stares started to become more hostile and she heard them speaking about her. "Please leave immediately," the dove ordered again.

Ryouko looked down at her daughter shaking in fear and decided on what to do. She hugged Hinami close and unleased her Kagune. Its four parts spreading out behind her like a flower or a set of wings. "Hinami. Run," she said. She heard one of the doves in front of them order something but she didn't pay it attention. Instead she swung her Kokaku at the other two; slashing one in the hand. "Mother!" Hinami yelled out in panic but her mom only shouted, "Just go!" Giving in to her mother's demands, Hinami turned around and bolted through the opening in the other two men. "Don't let her get away Amon," Mado ordered. But before he could act, Ryouko's kagune slashed at him; didn't even come close to hitting him as he expertly dodged it. "I won't let you pass," the mother ghoul stated. Amon only coolly looked at her. "Don't get cocky trash." He activated his own quinque.

* * *

"Well I'm heading out now manager," Ken said. He was back in his civilian clothes and planned to head home to wait for when his sisters returned home. Perhaps he'd clean the house. It certainly needed it. "Good work Kaneki," was the reply. "Oh and Touka and your sisters should be back to working their shifts by tomorrow. I'm sure it will be fun." Ken just laughed nervously. "I wonder about that."

He left the shop and began to walk home. As he walked down the street two men walked by. They were talking about something so animatedly that Ken couldn't help but hear, "Man that was awesome. That was the first time I've ever seen a real ghoul. She looked just like a human." "But since it turned into a monster the place got too dangerous." "Man. I wish we could have stayed and watched a bit longer though. I really wanted to see those investigators take her down." Ken froze. They couldn't be talking about Ryouko and Hinami could they? His answer came when he spotted Hinami's notebook that she had been writing all the Kanji he taught her in. He gripped it in his fists as his worst fears were realized. "Shit." He started to run in the direction the two men had come from.

* * *

Ryouko was on her knees, panting. She hadn't been able to even lay a single scratch on the dove that faced her. The other one just spectated. "You aren't used to fighting are you?" he asked. "And you're not using your kagune very well." Ryouko gritted her teeth. She was going to die. There was no way she could beat them but at least she had saved Hinami. Mado grinned. "Are you feeling happy that your spawn escaped? That your genes can carry on breeding? Seeing trash like you mimicking human behavior makes me sick. The mother protecting her daughter. Makes me want to vomit."

Mado pushed Amon back. "Stand back Amon. From now on, I'll take it from here. With this guy." He activated his quinque. As she saw what came out of the suitcase, Ryouko broke a little inside. Her tears started to fall. "Ahh, no way. Why? Why do you have that?" Mado started to laugh. "That's it. That's what I wanted to see. Anguish! Despair! Fear! Anger! Show me more! Let me enjoy suffering."

* * *

"Damn it!" Ken shouted. He couldn't get anyone on the phone. Neither Yomo nor Irimi had answered. He'd tried to call Koma, Yoshimura, even the café's phone number but not a single phone was picked up. He was just preparing to call his sisters or Touka, when he heard, "Kaneki oniichan!" from behind him. "Hinami! Thank god you're safe! Where's Ryouko?!" Hinami jumped into Ken's chest; bawling her eyes out. "Momma is… Momma is…..," she sniffed and pointed in a direction. "Show me," Ken requested; not sure what he'd could do.

They got there shortly after Mado had released his weapon. Ken pulled Hinami behind a corner of a building where they could watch unseen. He tried to figure out what he could do. There were four of them; only one looked injured. Two of them obviously had a couple of those terrible weapons but the other two were much less armed. Ken figured that if he could kill the weak two or at least knocked them out, then occupy the other two while Ryouko made a break for it. He was sure they could hide the two she ghouls in the basement until they could get them out of here. He reached into his pocket only to not find his mask.  _'Ah,'_ he rationally remembered.  _'That's right. I don't have my mask back from Uta yet.'_ If he went out now they'd see his face also. If they saw him then not only Anteiku would be in danger but also his sisters. He'd make them suffer again. And there was a chance he could fail at saving her or worse; let them get Hinami as well. After Ryouko had tried so hard to let her escape. He thought about his jacket's hood but that wouldn't work. Not with that quinque the dove had. He would seriously have to limit his maneuverability to make it work and that would be a death sentence here.

Mado stood over her and mockingly told her. "If you would have just come quietly then you wouldn't have had to die out on the street like a dog. But then again I would have just dismantled you slowly. But how about this last nicety from me. I'll listen to your last words." Hinami started to come out but Ken grabbed her and pulled her back. "No, stay back," he ordered. Ryouko must have seen or smelled something because she smiled in their general direction. "Hinami… liv…" She didn't finish as Mado's quinque slashed her head clean off. Ken barely had time to cover her daughter's eyes and mouth as she screamed; thankfully sparing her from the sight of her mother's vicious death. But Ken saw it all. He used every last bit of his will power not to scream in rage or jump into a now pointless battle.

"Well now all that's left is the cleanup," Amon stated. However he noticed his partner was not listening. Kusaba asked, "What's the matter Mado." Instead of answering, Mado grinned. With a flick of his wrist he swung his weapon at the corner of a building rip through the brick face. "Looks like there are couple of more rats skulking around back there."

* * *

Omake:

Four of the five members of the Sasaki family now stood in the family apartment kitchen. All of them had a nervous but determined face. "You guys ready?" asked Takashi. The three young ones looked to him and solemnly nodded. They opened several windows and prepared some fans to blow away the coming fumes. They had but one goal. To make a birthday cake for the matriarch of the family.

The boys lost at rock paper scissors so Ken and his father had to bake the cake part. The started from scratch. From the disgusting eggs to the vomit inducing flour. The flour was the worst. Lots of it floated in the air as they clumsily tried to mix and stir everything together. Finally they were finished and the kitchen aired out. The cake in the oven.

The boys went to the living room to catch their breath while the girls set to work on making the icing. It wasn't five minutes till they heard some machine run and Shiro's and Kuro's terrified screams. The men rushed into the kitchen to find out that they had tried to mix cream but instead a bunch of it had splashed out of the bowl. Shiro was at the sink still retching out her guts. Kuro, meanwhile, was panicking at being covered in the sweet goop. "Get it off! Get it off! Get it off!" she kept repeating with tear stained eyes. Ken couldn't help it but giggle a bit. Kuro sent him a death glare before throwing some of the stuff in his face. Some of it shot up into his nose. For weeks after this incident, he'd visibly shudder around any cream.

Takashi sighed and shoved his kids into the bath to clean up while he finished it. When they came back the cake was out. It was bit blackened and not the yellow color it was supposed to be but a toffee brown. The icing was beyond runny. But they all four helped putting on the icing. Once it was done they all four stood back and looked at it.

"I don't think it looks that bad," said the father ghoul.

"It looks depressing," said Kuro.

"looks like cat throw up," stated Shiro.

Ken sighed. "She's gonna hate it."

Before they could decide what to do about it, the door opened and Hotaru came in. Flushed with excitement from another successful pitch for a novel to her editor. To the surprise of everyone else she thanked them for the cake and ate the whole thing. And thus ended another happy adventure of the Sasaki household.


	15. Chapter 15

Ken barely had enough time to jump back as the tentacle weapon ripped through the wall they hid behind. The spikes on the spine were still able to slash open a small gash on his cheek though. The doves had discovered them. He could hear the footsteps approaching. Panicking and doing the only thing he could, Ken grabbed Hinami and jumped to the rooftops. As he climbed, he glanced back; spotting Amon coming around the corner.

"Eyepatch!" Amon growled at the retreating ghoul. Mado came behind him as Ken disappeared. "Did you see his face?" he asked Amon. His junior slammed his fist into the face of the building. "Only his left eye and the back of his head. Damn it." Mado rubbed his chin. "Well don't let it get you too worked up Amon. If anything this is great news. It means that he and this case are connected. I'm sure we will meet again Eyepatch. Kusanagi is ready and waiting for you." Mado started to laugh like a madman as he anticipated for the eventual reunion.

* * *

"I can't believe it," Kuro fumed. "How did Touka of all people beat me?" Touka just smirked proudly. Her test score of 85 trumping Kuro's 79. "That's what you get for not studying," teased the one girl to get a perfect score to her sister. Touka joined in too. "Yeah, your brother is a really good teacher. He should think about becoming one after he graduates." However their happy revelry was cut short at the entrance to Anteiku. They were all three confused by why the door sign said closed. As they went in, they found the place empty and Yoshimura waiting for them. "Hey, manager. The door sign was the wrong way. Probably a prank," Touka informed him. However the man simply asked them all three to head upstairs.

They went into the meeting room and saw all the others; Ken now with a bandaged cheek. "So this is where all of you are. Why isn't anyone running the shop?" asked Touka. No one answered her. Instead, they all turned away from her. "What's wrong?" Kuro could tell something bad had happened. She asked; already dreading the answer to come. "Ryouko was killed by the CCG investigators earlier today, while protecting Hinami." All three girls went wide eyed. Kuro dropped her book as Shiro fell to her knees. Touka slammed her fist into the wall. "What about Hinami?!" she immediately asked. "Ken found her and got her back here safely. She's now resting down the hall," Yoshimura assured her. "What about her face? Did they see it? Tell me that they didn't get a look at it." Touka's hopes were dashed when Ken informed her, "They saw it. All four of them. They got a good long hard look at it." Touka's head dropped. "What the hell. Why did it have to be Ryouko? What did she do to deserve it?" Yoshimura walked towards the window and peered out onto the streets. "For now Hinami will stay here. But when possible, I am thinking of having her sent to the twenty fourth ward." All four of the youngest members of Anteiku were shocked by this. "You're going to send her there?" Shiro asked. She remembered when Rize had first appeared before them, that she had forced the three of them to camp out for one week in that place. Even now she was still frightened of it.

"You can't be serious!" Touka objected. "There's no way Hinami could survive in a place like that." "Touka," Ken tried to get her attention. However she didn't pay attention as she decided on a new plan. "Let's just kill them before they can report her face. We could do it with everyone here easily. Hell, even Yomo or Ken could do it alone if needed." "You can't!" shouted Shiro. The girl was visibly shaking. "Did you forget how those things operate?! If you kill them now, then just double that amount will come tomorrow and then double that number the next day. The nest will focus on the twentieth ward and won't stop till they hunt us all down like animals." Hearing this irritated the full ghoul high schooler. Touka grabbed the white haired girl by her collar. "Hah?! So you want us to do nothing after one of our friends was just killed? Just ignore it and not find justice for Ryouko. I didn't realize you were that pathetic," Touka practically spat out the last bit.

"Better than being consumed by revenge," shot back Ken. His words were truly laced with venom; unsettling the others in the room. No one, not even Touka, had the right to touch his sisters like that or say such things to them. Touka turned to the male half ghoul. It was then that she noticed the bandage on his face. "How did you get that cut?" she asked. "And how did you know there were four of them? ... You were there weren't you?!" Ken just avoided her rage filled eyes. "I couldn't go out there," he tried to explain. "I didn't have my mask." Suddenly Touka was in front of him. She punched the boy; sending him sailing into the wall. "You bastard! You let her die! How cowardly can you be?!" Yomo was holding the irate she ghoul back as she tried to rush Ken screaming all sorts of insults at the man. But nobody expect what happened next. Ken leapt forward and punched the girl right back. "Big Bro?!" his sisters screamed as they now held him back too. Touka was slightly dazed by the force and spat out a tooth. "Don't you dare call me a coward, you bitch! You don't realize how much I wanted to go and save her! But if I had gone out there, there was no guarantee I could have saved her. Hell, it would have also put Hinami right back in danger after how hard Ryouko worked to let her get away. But what was guaranteed was that I would have been seen as well. And with my face they would have found Anteiku and my sisters. They've finally got the chance at a happy and safe life here and you're saying that I should have destroyed that after all I've already put them through. Truthfully, if I was in the same position again, I'd gladly do the exact same thing." Both of them started to stare each other down.

"Enough!" ordered Yoshimura; his kakugan out. He looked at each person in the room one by one. "This is no time to be squabbling like children. Ken did the right thing. We must not let the CCG believe that there are violent ghouls in the ward. I want everyone to avoid them. Spread the word to everyone Koma. Irimi." He didn't wait for an answer but just stormed out the room; followed closely by Yomo. Everyone else soon filed out of the room as well. Ken was last to leave; wondering if what he did was right, then why did he still feel so rotten.

* * *

The next few days were hard on everyone in Anteiku. But it was especially hard on the young ones. Ken barely paid attention in Kamii and messed up several orders while on shift. He brushed off Hide every time the human boy tried to talk to him or get him to go out. Instead being lost in his memories and thinking about why ghouls deserved such a fate. Touka refused to even deal with the Kaneki trio. She would go to school, come to work, and go home. Only staying after hours every so often to try to comfort Hinami. The young now orphan girl was held up in one of the upstairs rooms; barely touching her food and sleeping most of her time away while crying during the rest. Kuro and Shiro both skipped school. For Kuro it was spent staying at Anteiku; trying to help Hinami in any way she could. It broke her heart every time she failed to cheer up the young ghoul but she didn't let it show; only waving it off with a smile. Meanwhile Shiro locked herself in the twins' room. The death had brought back a lot of bad memories for the young girl and again reinforced the terror of the doves in her mind. Shiro only ever came out after an hour or two of coaxing from Ken, and would soon return to her sanctuary afterwards.

On the ninth day of this, Ken noticed something as he was heading home from picking up his family's masks from Uta. He saw Touka leaping over the rooftops. At first he thought of just ignoring it. But she had been wearing her rabbit shaped mask. He had a feeling that that couldn't be good. He fretted over it for about half a minute before he decided to follow her and find out what was going on. As he began to chase after her, he realized that they were heading into the neighborhood around the local CCG offices.  _'Touka, what the hell are doing?'_ Ken worried.

* * *

Mado glanced down at the file they had built on the daughter ghoul that had escaped about a week ago. "723's daughter. There have not been any eye witness reports of 724, correct?" he asked. Amon nodded. "Yes. It's highly likely that Eyepatch has hidden her away. For now, I feel we should continue on to other targets. We can continue to look for 724 while we take care of them as well." Mado agreed. "We'll go along with Amon's idea. But we can't let her get to far away. Especially if she can lead us to that single eyed bastard that's been playing cat and mouse with us since he escaped the thirteenth. But before I forget again. Good job on the last case as well you two. I believe you can expect some reward from headquarters soon. Go ahead and bask in the glory. For each day we inch ever closer to our goal of cleansing this ward of this filth."

* * *

Later that evening, Amon was walking down the street trying to figure out what to eat. He was then approached by the two bureau investigators who offered to show him a good place to eat. Amon accepted but was not particularly happy about it; only going out of the necessity to be courteous. They sat at the counter as a large man took their orders. Apparently the two men were regulars here as they joked around with the chef.

As the food came out, one of them, Kusaba, asked, "So you really dug up that grave alone just to get the mask huh? But you don't really look like the type to do something so unrefined." Amon simply replied, "One cannot achieve their goals unless they choose the method required to do so." The other two men still seemed uncomfortable despite the logic in his reasoning. As they began eating, Kusaba changed the topic to the CCG academy. "What kind of things did they teach you at the academy anyway?" Amon continued to eat as he explained, "We studied laws on ghouls and such. Then we did physical training. I'm not allowed to go to into it though. There are rules against talking about it." "Were there any girls there?" Amon stopped eating; remember lost comrades. As the Nakajima reprimanded his friend he answered, "There were two in my class. Both determined and talented. But they both were killed while in the field." Both of the other men went silent. "I'm sorry," said Kusaba. Amon put money down for his meal and walked to the exit. "Don't be. It's to be expected in this world. It's the earnest people who end up dying first."

* * *

Even later, both Kusaba and Nakajima were both walking home while thinking about what Amon had said. "I guess it's best for people to work in moderation huh." Nakajima observed. Kusaba laughed at him. "Don't say that. We have lots of work to do. Same as the other wards. Though it would be nice if Amon and Mado could help us take down some of the high profile cases besides the binge eater pack. Like the gourmet." Nakajima just replied, "The branch director doesn't want to lose such a big achievement to them so he hasn't asked for any input in it. Honestly he's already upset that we need to let them take over Eyepatch and the Ying Yang sisters along with the binge eater." Kusaba stopped and looked at his friend. "You know. It really looks like Amon doesn't really care about rewards or achievements. He's honestly just pursuing his belief in justice. It makes me realize how weak we really are." Nakajima grabbed his friend in a brotherly fashion. "What do you expect comparing yourself to a star from the academy? Those guys from central are real monsters." But his friend didn't agree. "I've always desired a desk job. Nice and easy not to mention safe. But seeing him, somehow makes me feel a little fired up. I'm gonna work harder on the next case"

Before he could say anything else, though a figure flew down and with its bare hands, sliced open Kusaba's head. "Kusaba!" Nakajima yelled as his friend's body fell to the ground. He looked to the figure. It wore a jacket and had pink hair and was wearing a bunny mask. As he stood there stunned, the attacker charged at him. But thankfully Amon was there to push him out of the way. "Stand back," he ordered as he removed his overcoat.

The figure immediately ran towards Amon; zigzagging in its approach. The speed of her moves as well as the strength of the kicks and punches she landed on him once she was within range hammered in the fact that this was a ghoul. Amon mentally admonished himself for forgetting his quinque. The female ghoul got a good kick in that flung him back into a wall. He hit it hard. His temple began to bleed a bit and he was momentarily so dizzy he could barely stand. As he got his bearings again, he saw the ghoul charge at him again. But now it had its kagune out. It was an Ukaka type. With its speed and strength, the beast would easily rip him in two during the next attack and there was no way to defend himself. He was saved though, when a spiked tentacle flew by him and slashed into the enemy's arm. "Amon, how many times have I had to tell you not to forget to bring your quinque with you at all times?" Mado asked. Mado not only had his usual quinque but he was also carrying another silver case. "Sorry Mado," Amon apologized.

"It appears you're forgetting the basics my dear partner. I guess I'll have to give you a refresher course." Mado swung his quinque down at the prone ghoul but she was able to jump away at the last second. Mado was ecstatic at this. "Oh so you actually dodged it? Well done. Perhaps you'll be worth my time after all." The rabbit masked ghoul jumped at him and unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks. "Let's review the ukaka ghoul first Amon. As you know ukaku ghouls, like rinkaku, are highly offensive types that use speed and a flurry of attacks to overwhelm their opponents and finish the battle quickly. However, unlike the rinkaku, Ukaku ghouls have low stamina. As the battle drags on, their moves become duller as their fighting prowess drops dramatically. Isn't that correct my dear rabbit chan?" During this little lesson Mado had nearly effortlessly blocked every one of the ghoul's attacks. Rabbit had now slowed down considerably and was audibly panting. In desperation she unleashed her Kagune and used it to shoot sharpened crystalline projectiles that Mado's weapon blocked. However she achieved her main goal of gaining some distance from this dangerous man. She needed to get away from here and come back when she had sufficiently prepared for him.

Mado frowned. It was obvious that the rabbit ghoul was planning to run. And he couldn't have that. It was then that he formed a new strategy. "You were friends with that she ghoul I killed a week ago correct? Are you curious how she died? Or what her last words were?" Mado posed like he was deep in thought but then just burst into a fit of laughter. "Ah, sorry. I already forgot and it's only been a week. After all she was so weak and pathetic. Couldn't even use her kagune properly. Just like you" "You bastard!" the ghoul screamed and charged towards him recklessly. Mado grinned like a psycho. "Dumbass." He flicked his hand and his quinque appeared to the female ghoul's left. She only had a second to realize that it would take her head clean off and that she wouldn't be able to dodge it.

To everyone's surprise, though, a new figure appeared. The figure landed on Mado's quinque, slamming it into the ground, and grabbed the wounded ghoul; carrying her, under his arm, to the top of one of the electrical poles. "Eyepatch," Amon realized. Mado pulled his weapon back into a defensive form as the new ghoul watched the tentacle warily. Mado then nonchalantly waved at the male ghoul; like he was greeting his neighbor. He honestly found the scene of Eyepatch holding Rabbit as she struggled and complained about his interference almost comical.

"A pleasure to meet you Sasaki san," he began. Touka stopped struggling when she heard this. Who was Sasaki? She then felt Ken tighten his grip on her slightly.  _'Wait, is that Ken's old name?'_ she slowly realized. "Opps. That's right. You abandoned that name didn't you? Just like a snake shedding its skin. My mistake. Hmmm, speaking of snakes Eyepatch, there is something I've always wanted to ask you. About your father. What went through your mind when you ate him? Sigh, what a waste of such good materials." Ken suddenly slammed his foot down; cracking the pole. Mado's grin only got wider at the half-ghoul's agitation. "Amon tell me. What is the best strategy against a rinkaku ghoul?" "Don't let them take the initiative," his partner answered. "They are geared almost exclusively towards offensive combat, and combined with their natural ability to self-regenerate from even severe wounds, can easily take down high level investigators if allowed to take the lead in combat. However they have a low defense and as such can be subdued if one forces them into a defensive battle or is able to keep them off balance."

"Very good Amon," Mado complimented. He subtly prepared his unopen quinque. "Of course another good way is to prepare a good surprise for them to catch them off guard and slip through their defensives. Just like so." He activated his new weapon. It surged forth at amazing speeds. Ken barely had enough time to leap back and fire off his rinkaku to block the incoming attack. It smashed through all six of his tentacles and only missed him by a hairs breath. He had luckily knocked it off course with his kagune. He landed on the nearby roof and only now got a good look at the recently unleashed quinque as it returned to its master. What he saw took his breath away. Now encircling the man as a shield was a single rinkaku. Its scaly red body reminded Touka of Ken and his sisters' kagunes. However, this one ended in a barbarous tip rather than the needle like point they all had. "Where did you get that?" She heard Ken coldly ask. At this point Mado was now openly laughing with glee. "I have connections with the woman who led that raid on your old home. She was more than happy to lend me this. Come now. You must be happy. At long last, your dear reunion."

Ken was pissed. He wanted to rip this man apart. How could someone do something, like this? Did he not have even a shred of a conscience? But he resisted. He knew he was at a disadvantage now. Besides, he came here to grab Touka not fight the doves. Rather than fall for the dove's taunts, he jumped away and fled back towards Anteiku, to Mado's disappointment. "Well no matter. It's only a matter of time till I track you down. Eyepatch. Rabbit."

* * *

Kaneki threw Touka into the back wall of Anteiku. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" he asked. "Getting justice for Hinami and Ryouko. Unlike the rest of you I care about them. What those men did can't be forgiven! They should all just die!" Touka was surprised by the slap from Ken that followed. "Don't fuck with me!" He stared the furious she-ghoul deep into her eyes. "You and I both know that's not what this is about. You're just angry and this is just your way of satisfying your own desire for revenge. If you really cared for them then you would be back at Anteiku, with Hinami. Not abandoning her to play batman and getting yourself killed like a fucking idiot." "And how would you know? What makes you think you can lecture me? Understand me? Scold me?! What gives you the right to judge me?!" "Because I've done exactly what you're doing before! I can't let you repeat the same mistakes I made. I got lucky. And chances are you won't be." Touka went silent and lowered her head. She was shocked by Ken's confession. She wanted to know what he meant but but he didn't continue. The young man just sighed and yanked the girl inside. "Come on, let's get that wound treated." He ignored her complaints and quickly dressed her wound; having experience doing this with Shiro and Kuro a few times. After that he let her leave as he began to clean up the mess.

As he was finishing, Yoshimura walked in. The half-ghoul was not looking forward to this. He knew that the manager was going to be upset at what Touka had done. "Touka went after the doves," the manager stated. "Yes she did." Ken calmly replied. "And you are still willing to help her even if that means you will have to share in her responsibility for what is to come." Ken was silent for a bit before answering. He mulled over what he should say. In the end, he decided to just simply say what he felt without any ambiguity. "Yes. I know what she's going through. She needs someone there to watch over her and nudge her till she can get back on the right path herself." Yoshimura smiled at him. "Then I'll entrust that duty to you." Once Ken was finished he got ready to leave but the manager asked him to come upstairs and have another cup of coffee with him. "What do you want to talk about?" the younger ghoul asked as they sat down. Yoshimura took a sip of his coffee and then answered, "I was wondering if you could finally talk to me about when your parents died and what happened afterwards. I feel you need to get this off your chest. You have grown up amazingly over the last year or so that you have been here but there is still a part of you that is still blaming yourself. You need to face that guilt even if you can ignore it. I don't feel your parents would want you to still be berating yourself over what happened after all these years." Ken was stunned. He stared into his coffee for a few seconds before deciding. He took a deep breath and asked, "Would you believe it all started because of a cat?"

* * *

Omake: I'll be honest I can never see Kusaba not dying no matter what manga series I put him in

Shoujo: Kusaba dies of plot convenience disease.

Nakajima: "Kusabaaaa!"

Sports: Kusaba gets hit by the ball and breaks his neck.

"Kusabaaaa!"

War story: Kusaba gets sniped

"Kusabaaaa!"

School life/everyday life story: Kusaba falls down a set of stairs and dies

"Kusabaaa!"

Scifi: Kusaba gets eaten by an alien

"Kusabaa!"

Comedy: Kusaba just dies.

"Kusabaa!"


	16. Chapter 16

Ken stretched in the warm sun. He had just gotten off from school and was heading home for the day. It was a really pleasant day. The warm late summer/early autumn weather made the city pleasantly warm; not the scorching heat of the last couple of months. People happily went about their day as they chatted, shopped, and other mundane activities. Ken could even smell more than a few ghoul scents mixed into the crowds. He also watched the crows, pigeons, and other city wildlife make their way around the humans; eating crumbs and leftovers on the ground or patrolling their territory in one of the many alleyways that lined the route back to his house.

Ken was particularly excited to get home today. His father had promised him that he'd train him some more tonight in how to use his newly manifested rinkaku. Earlier this year, Ken's kagune had materialized; allowing the young boy to now pull out a single rinkaku tentacle. While it did remind him of his father in overall appearance he did noticed how there were still differences. The greatest one being how the tip of his was different from Takashi's. It was his own kagune and he was so excited that he kept finding excuses to pull it out at home. It also gave him something to tease his now jealous little sisters with. When he got home, after eating a bit, they would both go to an abandoned factory they had claimed and practice with it. In particular, Takashi was now teaching his son how to properly use the rinkaku like a grappling hook to allow him to move in a much more three dimensional style and to avoid attacks while in the air.

Ken decided to take the path home that led him through the park. He really liked the park. Here he could happily read or play games with his sisters and parents. It was one of the earliest places he remembered his mom taking him after she was certain that he'd wouldn't bring any CCG attention to them. It was here that she had shown him beauty of nature. She had also shown him how cruel it could be though; letting him watch as ants attacked and killed a larger bug as she explained to him about the dark side of the world. He went off the main path and into the forested parts as he listened to the birds in the trees and admired the plants growing around here; away from the beaten path. He had gotten pretty far from the path when he heard a meow. Looking up, the boy saw a cat in one of the trees. He recognized its orange and white coloring and flabby shape as belonging to the cat from next door. It was stuck high up in the tree. Ken wanted to help it but none of the branches were low enough for him to climb up unless…

Ken quickly glanced around the area and sniffed the air. He didn't sense anyone close. The young half-ghoul decided to risk it and used his superior strength to leap up into the tree; quickly climbing it to where the cat was. It took a minute to calm down the animal after he spooked it but after a few pets and nice words the feline was purring and rubbing its scent on his hand. He picked it up and placed it next to his chest. Ken tried to climb back down with one hand. Unfortunately his grip slipped and he began to fall. Reacting instinctively, the boy released his kagune. The single rinkaku shot forward and grabbed onto the tree. It functioned as a bungee cord and allowed Ken to avoid smashing his head on the ground or hurting the cat.

Once back on the ground and his rinkaku retracted. Ken giggled at what just happened. _'I'm getting better and better at using it. Soon I'll be able to help dad with protecting all of us from bad ghouls and the CCG.'_ He scratched behind the cat's ears as it happily meowed at him again. "What do you think Patton? Pretty cool right?" he asked the feline who only mewed in response. He then heard the sound of a stick breaking to his left. The boy snapped around to try to spot what had made the sound. Could someone have seen him?! Ken was panicking as he tried to remember what his mother had told him to do if he was discovered when a squirrel came out of the bushes. The animal looked at him then ran back into the bushes as the cat struggled out of his grip and ran after it. Ken took a deep breath and relaxed. _'It was just a squirrel. No one saw me then. Thank God,'_ he thought. The boy soon cleaned himself as he grumbled about the damage to his shirt from the release of his rinkaku. He quickly hid it with his coat and ran the rest of the way back home; making sure to keep his pace with in human levels.

* * *

Several days later, things were winding down in the Sasaki household. Currently Shiro and Ken were with their mother in the kitchen. Hotaru was leading them in preparing some food for tonight and tomorrow. Some it was completely normal human food. While most of this was for Hotaru, some of it was for the kids to practice eating what humans called food. The rest of the food was for the ghouls of the family. This food and had been either mixed with a little bit of human food or made to look like its counterpart so that they could eat it front of most other humans safely; such as for school lunches. Meanwhile, Kuro was in the back taking a nap with their father.

It was when Ken was showing off his latest rice ball to his mother, fishing for her approval that the doorbell rang. "Hai, I'm coming," Hotaru called out as she cleaned her hands off with her apron. Shiro tried to come with her but she pulled the young half ghoul from her leg. She patted the girl on the head. "It's okay. I'll be right back. It's probably just someone selling newspaper subscriptions. Play with your big brother till I get back, ok?" She ruffled Shiro's hair after the child nodded. Still both Ken and Shiro stood at the kitchen entrance and watched as Hotaru approached the door. She unlocked the door and turned to smile at her two children.

Ken smelled something weird as the door knob clicked open. It was like rusted blood. However before he could say anything about it his mother had already pulled the door open. At that moment, a red organic-like blade slipped through the opening and ripped into Hotaru's torso; splashing the foyer in blood. Time slowed for Ken as he watched his mother's body fall to the ground with a wet thud. All went quiet for a heartbeat. Then in the next Shiro screamed.

Ken grabbed the crying, screaming girl as she tried to run to where their mother lay; constantly calling out for momma. But no comforting response came from the woman. Instead a large man came through the still open door; his professional shoes soaking in the blood of the woman he had just slaughtered. He held in his hands a quinque shaped like a large spear-like lance or pike. His one callous glance at the two children chilled them both to the bone. Shiro was now reduced to sniffles, tears, and squeaks as she buried her face into her brother's protective chest.

The other two Sasaki family members entered as well. Both of them now frozen in the back doorway; stunned by the sudden tragedy before their eyes. Several more figures could be seen outside the doorway, quinques at the ready, behind the man who now observed his victim's corpse. The man gave a depressed sigh. "Damn, it was only the human woman. I guess it was too much to hope that she would have brought one or two of the little brats with her to the door."

Hearing someone so causally talk about the murder of his wife, and desire to slay more of his family caused the father ghoul snap. All eight of his rinkaku shot out and immediately flew towards their target. The man was able to block three of them but the other five ripped into and through his flesh. Takashi didn't even wait for the body parts to fall as he roared and charged as well. He began to fight off all the doves. He used four of the tentacles to attack while another four surrounded their master as a shield from the gun like quinques. As he fought, Kuro snuck over to her siblings and the three children just curled together in a frightened and confused shivering huddle. Unfortunately the doves had come prepared and now Takashi was being pushed back. There were just too many of them and several of them were obviously high level. As another quinque grazed his arm, he realized they couldn't fend them off and safely escape. That they had to flee; and leave Hotaru's body behind.

The elder Sasaki turned to Ken and shouted, "Ken grab your sisters and run!" He was answered by Kuro who yelled back, thinking their father meant to sacrifice himself for them, with, "But we can't just leave you!" Ken and Shiro however were still frozen. Ken barely registered what his dad had ordered and only wondered, _'Run? But to where?'_ All he could do was stare at the doves as they began come closer and closer and at the body of his dear mother that they simply trampled over her. His mind was finally snapped out of its confused state as he heard glass shatter. He turned his head just in time to see several Ukaku shards flying straight towards the three of them. One of the doves must have decided to attack them from the neighboring building. There was no time for them to evade. Ken barely had enough time to close his eyes and shield his sisters. But the searing pain of impalement never came. Ken opened his eyes to see his father before him; the crystalline spikes through his chest and stomach.

A stunned whispered, "father," slipped through his lips as the older man simply smiled at him wrapped his arms around the three of them. He then wrapped his kagune together in one massive tentacle and slammed it into front of the apartment; demolishing the front of the building. He then used the smoke and shock of this to escape. He ran while holding onto his three children and jumped out the window. As they jumped, Takashi was able to spot the female dove who had dared to fire at his children. He launched one rinkaku at her as they fled. He was rewarded with her cries of pain as it cleaved her arm off and stopped her from shooting at them again. And so they escaped into the night.

* * *

They reached the abandoned factory that he had prepared as a training ground for the family later that evening. He had been careful to take a roundabout way so as to keep the doves from locating this place; a ward and half away from their home. He was already starting to fall in and out of consciousness as the ukaku rounds in him started to break apart and allow the wounds to begin to bleed out. He carried the three others into the managerial office they had made into a place to rest and camp out in as Ken and hopefully later his sisters began serious Kagune training. However, now this factory would be a safe house that held a mattress with blankets, working water, and an emergency radio currently set to the CCG's propaganda station.

He sat against the wall; grunting in pain as the move aggravated his wounds. Ken, Kuro, and Shiro quickly surround the man. They knew that he was dying, but the three young ones didn't want to accept it. If he didn't survive, then what would they do? Kuro and Shiro began begging him to hold on and not to leave them while Ken just silently watched as the strongest person he had known, who seemed invincible, began to fade away in front of him. In one night he and his sisters had lost two great pillars of their world to the doves. _'Why?'_ he mentally questioned. _'What did we do to deserve this? The doves just come in destroy our lives. Even after we tried our hardest to live to a quiet, peaceful life and were always nice to everyone. Hell we've been more humane then the humans themselves at times. So why?! It's not fair!'_ "Ken." The boy's thoughts were interrupted by his father's call. He came closer to Takashi who placed his bloody hand on his son's shoulder. He looked deep into the young boy's eyes. "Promise me," he asked. "Promise me that you will protect your sisters now. You're the head of the household and you have to protect them." Takashi tried to smile but instead began to cough up blood to the dismay of his children. "Keep them safe and happy. Understand. You need to live." Ken couldn't say anything. Instead he just mutely nodded. Takashi passed away shortly thereafter; leaving his now emotionally crushed children alone in this messed up world; crying over his body.

* * *

Two days later

Ken quickly gulped down the water as it fell from the industrial faucet. He swallowed the last bit of water as he turned it off and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. He grimaced at the stench of two days without a shower in the same dirty clothes; only able to clean himself off with some water and the old rags they found a day earlier. The trio was not doing well. They were depressed, afraid, angry, and uncertain how they would even survive the week. Any sudden noise frightened them as they expected the doves to appear again.

They were also very tired. The stress and uncertainty of it all made it difficult for any of them to fall asleep at all and when they did sleep it would likely be for only a short time till they would be awoken in a screaming fit by nightmares and memories. Ken's addled and sleep deprived mind looked at his reflection in the puddle on the ground; causing him to lightly laugh. His hair looked ridiculous to him in all its white glory. Though it did look slightly gray or silver when compared to the now traumatized Shiro's bone white hair.

Finished admiring his reflection, he went back inside and sat with the twins. They were currently listening to the CCG radio station again. As expected, Ken, his sisters, and their now deceased father were the main topic on it. Ken was pretty certain that their faces were on the tv news too as the CCG called on the public to help them find their location. They had even had interviews with a couple people who had known them before they were discovered. From the cat owning neighbor who had reported them after seeing Ken use his Kagune to their maternal grandparents who Ken could only remember meeting twice.

As he listened to the man on the radio once again give their descriptions and warn the public to call the CCG if they saw anything suspicious, Ken turned to look at his sisters. Shiro was staring at her can of vending machine coffee. She seemed to have closed herself off; only showing the simplest of reactions to everything. Her only real shows of emotion now were when she fearfully jumped at unknown sounds, cried when going to sleep, and woke up panicking after a bad nightmare. Meanwhile Kuro had done the opposite. She had copped by putting on a painfully cheerful mood and by trying to be helpful and relaxing to the other two. She was always there to comfort Shiro and always went to grabbed cans of coffee from the vending machine down the street after nightfall. However she ignored the dead body of their father and would not talk at all about what happened that night or since. Simply put, she was actively denying that tragedy.

As for Ken, he was using his last promise with his father to avoid dealing with it all. He busied himself with figuring out how to keep his sisters safe and alive. He had been patrolling the factory grounds for any signs of possible discovery. He had filled up the factory's abandoned water cooler and brought it in the room for his sisters and even been there as guard and a living security blanket as they hugged him for comfort in their sleep. But his current thoughts went to their biggest problem; food. They had obviously not had the time to eat anything when they fled and now, after days without anything to eat, all three of them were quite hungry. And it would get worse as Ken was pretty certain it could be months before it was safe for them to leave with the CCG hot on their trail. But what would they eat until they could find somewhere truly safe to escape to? Ken wondered if any of the local delinquents hung out here or perhaps a couple of teenagers looking for a deserted place to make out in would come. He felt his rinkaku ripple under his skin. Granted he hadn't ever killed someone before and the thought of doing so frightened him but he had promised and in the end his sisters' lives were more important to him. He'd gladly kill for them.

A sudden realization occurred to Ken as he glanced at the body of their father. He hesitated for only a second before standing up and walking over to the body. Kuro and Shiro watched their brother as he removed the cover that they had used to shroud their father's body. Ken then shoved his hand into one of the wounds; much to Kuro's shock. "What the hell are you doing?!" she yelled. Ken ignored her as he pulled out some of their father's flesh and gave it to Shiro. He simply ordered, "Eat." The white haired girl looked at her brother in shock for a second before she dutifully started eating. Ken grabbed some more and then turned to Kuro who starred at him indignantly. "You can't be serious. That's our father!" Ken sighed and answered, "I know. But what else can we do? If we don't eat this then we'll starve." "I'd rather starve!" she shot back. Ken simply replied, "I see," before forcing the meat into her mouth. The two struggled as he forced it farther down her throat. As if to make this scene even more cruelly ridiculous, Kuro's kagune activated for the first time and came to her defense; forcing Ken to use his own to hold it back. This went on for about a minute before the girl finally swallowed. Ken slowly removed his hand but still held onto the now coughing girl. She tried to shove her fingers into her mouth to force her gag reflex but he grabbed her hand before she could try to force herself to throw up. "Don't you dare barf! I promised dad I'd protect you and that we will all survive. Please. Even if you come to hate me. Don't leave me as well," he pleaded. Kuro trembled before grabbing her brother and bawling. Ken pulled out some more of the meat as his sister cried and took a bite. It was the worst tasting food he had ever had.


	17. Chapter 17

Kuro was missing. It had now been a little over a week since they had escaped. And their situation had not gotten any better. Kuro still had not forgiven Ken for forcing her to eat their own father and would usually leave the room if he entered or at the very least refuse to talk with him. Shiro, tried to fix this one time, only for her and Kuro to get into a fight that ended with a crying Shiro slapping her sister and going to older brother for comfort. After that Kuro grabbed one of the blankets and started sleeping in another room.

During all this, Ken developed a major headache that never seemed to abate. It felt like something was eating away at his brain. More than once he caught himself thinking dark thoughts; blaming the humans for what had been done to them and thoughts of revenge on them. He even thought of using force to get Kuro to fall in line. Every so often his kagune started to act up too. He could feel it twitching and stinging in his back every once and awhile. And already it had come out twice without his consent. Both times it had also looked wrong to the young boy but he forced it back into his body and made sure that neither of his sisters discovered his ailment. They both had too much to deal with now to worry about him over something that was more of just an annoyance than anything. He had to find them somewhere to truly be safe. Then he'd deal with his health problems.

That all changed when he went to wake up Kuro this morning only to find her missing. He and Shiro both searched the whole factory but she was nowhere to be found. Could she have run away?! Now of all times?! Ken immediately ordered Shiro to lock herself in the office as he went to track down their missing sister.

He slowly scrambled around in the shadows so as to avoid being spotted by the humans who were obviously out to get him. He moved more like a beast than a person at this point. His face half in a snarl with some drool lining his lips. His single kakugan was even flashing on and off at times. One little girl was reduced to tears when she and the half ghoul locked eyes for a half second as he passed by. But Ken barely noticed or cared. That girl was not his sister so she was unimportant. But where could Kuro have gone? Was she really that mad at him? To run away? To leave him and his sister just like their parents? Had she already been discovered by the humans? Had he already failed his one promise to protect them?! He couldn't! He had to... Had to protect them. He had to redeem himself. After all it was his fault that they had lost everything. One silly mistake and he had gotten their parents murdered; with the consent of the public. And now, if he lost Kuro all because he forced her to run away. Ken snarled and slammed his fist into the wall; cracking it. He would not let this happen. He would find her, and bring her back to their temporary home; and kill anyone who got in his way.

He turned back to the factory to get a drink before checking in the opposite direction. However when he got back onto the factory grounds he could smell humans here. A glance and he noticed several vehicles in the once abandoned parking lot. Ken started to panic. Where was Shiro?! His answer came in a scream from the young girl. He raced back into the factory following the sound. He stumbled upon her as she was now surround by humans; one of them on top of the struggling girl. He couldn't hear what any of them were saying but their twisted faces infuriated him. The one on top of his sister tried to reach down and grab her by the chin but then slapped the young girl when she bit off a chunk of the appendage off. The site of his sister being struck was enough and Ken used the offensive power and speed second only to Ukakus to appear in the center of it all and punch the man off his sister. The punch was surprisingly powerful as the man was thrown a foot away and several of the bones in his in his face and neck loudly and grotesquely snapped. In the second that it took the others to notice him, Ken had already turned on the next opponent. Latching onto the human's neck and tearing it out with all the power his teeth could hold; blood spraying everywhere. As the remaining humans began to realize what was actually happening, Ken released his kagune in its now two tentacle glory. The two rinkakus flung around as if excited about their freedom and within seconds only two remained alive in the room. Ken was breathing hard over his kills as he suffered a bit of shell shock. He looked up at his wildly twitching blackish scabby looking kagune and down at his bloody hands and the bodies of those that would dare touch his sister.

He didn't know how long he was like this till his sister touched his shoulder. He spun around growled as his two tentacle's slammed into the ground on either side of the girl who squeaked and shakenly backed away in a sign of submissiveness. Ken realized what he had done and in desperation ran to a room that had been made with extra thick walls and heavy steel door. He then, shut himself in it and ordered his sister to block the door with something heavy. He could feel it. Something was crawling its way from deep inside of him and he couldn't let it hurt his sisters. He let go when he heard something slam in front of the door and blacked out within the next second.

* * *

Ken was awoken by an annoying sound. It sounded like sirens. But why would he hear sirens inside a building. But that wasn't the only thing that was wrong here. The cold dry concrete floor now felt like wet grass and he could feel a slight breeze and hear the sounds and smell the scents of a late summer evening all around him. He also could feel something covering him and what felt like two pairs of hands holding on to him from either side. The young boy groaned and decided to open his eyes and find out what was going on. However, as he tried to stand up the two other people next to him held him down and shhhed him. "Don't move big bro. It's not safe yet." He realized that the voice was Kuro's and turned to see her anxious but relieved face right next to him on his left. "What's going on and where have you been," he croaked. For some reason his throat felt sore. Kuro laughed nervously, "I went out to too see if I could get us some soap. We really needed it. In the end it took a really long time to sneak around all the people and grab it; especially with us being targeted by the CCG." Ken could only stupidly stare at his sister. She went out for soap? He sighed and rubbed her head. "Just tell me next time you go out. I thought you had ran away." The girl just grinned back. "So where are we and why are we here," the boy asked. Shiro answered, "Kuro came back shortly after you went crazy. We heard you running around in there, smashing against the walls and screaming out random things. It was really scary. After everything went quiet. We waited for a half hour till we went in and found you passed out and the whole room torn up. After talking to Kuro, we decided that the factory wasn't safe anymore and so we grabbed what we could and then carried you out. We hid here after we spotted that CCG car driving past."

Ken thought about the last line Shiro had said. If that siren had come from a CCG car then it's highly likely it was rushing towards the factory. He was honestly proud of his sisters. They had been able to take care of everything while he was incapacitated. When they decided it was safe enough, the group got up and continued their journey away from the no longer safe house. By the early morning they had decided to camp out under a small bridge and used to river and the soap that Kuro had gotten them to take a much needed bath. It allowed them to clean off not just the physical dirt, but also much of the emotional and mental gunk that they had built up to over this episode.

* * *

Kureo Mado whistled in amazement at the damage in front of him. Decent size gashes had been formed into the walls, floor, and ceiling and what little furniture had been left behind here had been torn apart. Mado was honestly impressed that just a ghoul pup could do so much damage. He smirked as he idly watched the forensic teams gather the traces left behind in the gashes and took photos of the room. How he desired this kagune. What fine materials it would be. Perhaps if he let it grow for a few years in Cochelia, then it could be just the weapon he needed for taking down that damn owl. His fist tightened as he thought about that beast and what it had taken from him and his daughter. He would get his revenge. And while he waited for his chance he would collect more and more powerful quinques. So many that the owl and his ilk would find themselves overwhelmed.

Mado traveled back to the manager's office; walking by where they had found the victims of the Orochi's family. Most of the investigators wanted to just say that it was done by the father ghoul to feed his offspring but it looked highly likely that he was dead before the murders and there was evidence, the teeth marks of the adolescent male on the neck of one of the bodies, that seemed to suggest that it was the young ones themselves who had slain these people. For such young ghouls to be able to do so much was quite disturbing indeed. They needed to be tracked down and eliminated soon. Such a shame that they had apparently slipped away just this afternoon. Quite the lucky ones they were.

Mado entered the office. In there was what appeared to be the ghouls' den. Right now, other than Mado, there was only one other investigator and a CCG coroner in the room. The coroner was currently assessing the half eaten body of the father ghoul. Mado nonchalantly looked at the dead thing's hand where a wedding ring sat. He idly wondered if the ghoul had gone all in the charade and bought a real gold ring. But it was more likely just some cheap metal. Why spend so much on something only meant to hide yourself from your prey. He also looked at the other investigator in the room. The young man was obviously new as he stared at the body in shock and nauseated disgust. "I can't believe that they ate their own father," he naively stated. Mado couldn't help but laugh at what he said. He walked over next to the man to watch as the coroner continued his work assessing the material. "You shouldn't place human ethics on these things. They may act like us on the outside, but on the inside they are nothing but animals. Brilliant actors, but that's all. I wouldn't be surprised if the adolescent male was already planning to take down his father and take control of their quaint little pact soon. So it's no surprise that when their survival is threatened, the little ones would be more than willing to tear into their father. After all his wounds after the raid were already pretty severe. Rather than waste resources on a dying pact member, isn't better to use him as a resource instead?" Mado shook his head in amusement as the other man ran out of the room; barely holding in his vomit at the idea. Best to break in these new ones fast before they became some ghoul's lunch.

"So how are the materials doc? Still usable?" he asked the man still poking and prodding the body. The man looked up to him and shook his head. "Possibly. But the damage to the body from the three others eating off of it is significant. Looks like they consumed some of his kakahou as well. So we may be able to salvage some of it but its strength will be greatly reduced." Mado was more than a little disappointed in this. He had been looking forward to see if he could possibly get his friend, Setsuko Takahashi, to lend him it once the quinque was completed. A ghoul of this caliber was assured to dispense good materials. It's a shame that the little brats had gotten to the body first. Mado grinned. "Would it be possible to use the little ones' kagune to augment the quinque? To offset the damage they did to the original raw ingredients." He asked. The doctor stroked his beard as he thought about the idea. "It's possible. We could use the research we are currently running on combining two separate types of kagune's together. Granted they haven't created a successful prototype yet. But with them being family members and have the same types, the chances of a successful combination are much higher." Now this was the perfect news to perk up Mado after learning about the loss of such fine quinque material. "Good to know. I'll have it to you shortly. Just have to track the remains of this pack down. I wonder how their faces look like in agony," Mado said as he turned to leave the room. However as he walked off the coroner reminded him, "At least keep one of them alive. Doctor Chigyou wants to keep it for reseach." Mado stopped in his tracks and looked at the man like he had just said the something nonsensical. "Don't tell me that he believes that stupid rumor too. About these things being hybrids. He should know better than anyone that crossbreeding between the two species is impossible. The woman was just some whore the thing either bought or threatened into helping it with its charade of being human. Their real birth mother is probably just some she ghoul-bitch whore that wandered into the Orochi's territory." The man simply waved him off. "Perhaps, but if there is a chance its true, we must take it. All the possible research that could be done. Besides, it's not like a normal ghoul child wouldn't be of any use. We can always use another tamable lab rat." Mado made a non-committal grunt and continued to walk off. "And try to bring back one of the meeker ones. Would be pointless if we had to put it down immediately if it's too aggressive."

* * *

Two months later Ken and his sisters had started to irk a survivable but unpleasant living. They would quickly move from base to base. Sometimes on the side of the street or in a back alley or park. Other times in an abandon building or mostly empty train stations. If they felt like risking it, they even used love hotels or manga cafes. Once they even broke into a summer home whose owners had gone somewhere else as the weather started to chill in the fall. Ken had led his sisters throughout Tokyo, escaping from several close calls already. Thankfully the search for them seemed to have started to go cold as time went on and the public lost interest. It had now been a week and half since they had last seen an investigator. Ken had watched from two buildings away as the one he nicknamed smiley came out of the now empty studio; his creepy smile noticeably absent.

The group now carried a few belongings in some bags that they had acquired. Anything else they needed, Ken would go and find an uncrowded store and then enter, his coat on and hood up, and quickly buy it with as little conversation as possible. As for where they got the money, they had simply taken it off of the bodies. Most of them were ghouls that had come after them. Whether it was due to looking appetizing or simply because they had intruded on their territory, the trio seemed to constantly attract the worst kinds of ghouls. Thankfully, probably because they looked weak, these aggressive ghouls always seemed to underestimate them; allowing Ken or the twins to eliminate them quickly in a surprise attack. It also helped that Shiro had also developed her kagune and Ken could now pull out three rinkaku tentacles. They usually scrounged whatever was useful off the corpse before leaving it to the CCG to clean up.

As for food, while they did eat some of the flesh from the ghouls they attacked, they had started to actively hunt. They found being children really helped them; getting their prey to drop their guard and in getting them alone for the kill. Kuro had even used herself as bait once. She stood in a known date spot until some fat freak propositioned the girl, who hadn't even started middle school yet. She lured the man to a back alley and rather than letting him impale her, she impaled him instead. They were quickly learning the dirty new rules for their new disgusting environment. No longer could they keep their hands clean. To survive sometimes meant doing things that made you feel disappointed in yourself. And while Ken didn't want to admit, it was getting easier each time.

Currently he was using his kagune to hold himself on the ceiling of the abandoned building they had slept in last night. Ken watched in the early morning light as two police officers searched the building below him. His sisters had hidden themselves as well and were now waiting for their brother's move. If it had been just an hour or two later, he would have let them go. But they had to come early. While ken was trying to enjoy a can of boss coffee this morning. None of their stuff was packed from the night before and the two cops were heading straight for it all. They couldn't let them leave now. They would lose all of the meager belongings and the CCG would jump at the chance for a fresh lead on them. He waited till the older one in front was rambling on about family or something. The male half ghoul then let his kagune extend; allowing him to drop down at the younger man in the back. It was quick and easy one second he was upside down with his hands on the man's head. The next second the hallway was filled with the rewarding sound of the bones in his neck snapping. The other officer turned around his face twisted in horror as he watched Ken let his partner fall to the ground. He leveled his gun at the boy's face but before he could shoot the sisters also struck. Both of their rinkakus slicing into the portly body of the cop. He tried to shoot ken in one final act of defiance but Kuro used her speed and strength to drop kick his gun arm in the wrist; crushing the limb with a sickening crunch and causing the gun to drop from his grasp. The two girls dispersed their kagunes as Ken jumped back to the ground. The dying human fell to the floor as well. His eyes stared back into Ken's with a righteous fury. "You monsters," he accused. Some blood slipped out from between his lips. "How dare you kill Murasaki." Ken squatted down to face the man. "Ah, so his name was Murasaki?" he observed. "I couldn't care less. I'll slaughter anyone who threatens my sisters, bastard." He finished the man by stabbing the man's heart with his hand. He struggled for a bit but soon went still.

Ken looked up to see his sisters who seemed troubled by what happened. But they didn't have the time for this. "Kuro. Shiro. I need both of you to go back and get our stuff. We need to get out of here fast." The two steeled their expressions and went to do their job as Ken searched the bodies for anything of use. The guns were an obvious one. It was always good to have another one or two deadly tricks up your sleeve in this screwed up world. He wondered about the radios. Could they be tracked? Would he be able to listen in on the police if they did take it? How would he charge it? He took some other stuff from their belts as well; like the flashlights and the handcuffs.

Next he went through their pockets. He found some change and lent from the older man's front pockets. In the back ones he found the man's wallet. Nothing really noteworthy in. Just some cash he could take and the random cards that he threw away. Though he did get a good laugh at the man's stupid driver's license picture. The younger man did have some candy in his front pocket. He threw the thing away in disgust. Partly because it reminded him of what he couldn't have. And partly for how it reminded him of his lost mother. He opened the man's wallet and inside was a picture of a little girl; probably five or so years old. Before Ken would have been devastated at what he'd done; tearing this man away from his family like this. But now, he didn't even flinch as he pulled out the out the money and tossed the piece of leather aside.

As he counted the bills two more people entered the building. Their scents revealing them to be ghouls. Ken glanced at the two newcomers; both rather pretty looking women. He then pocketed the money and turned to leave. "You can have the bodies if you want. We're not that hungry." However the smaller rather tomboyish one answered with, "Actually we are looking for you, boy." Ken stopped in his tracks and looked back. "Oh." He unleashed his kagune again and prepared for a fight. "And why is that?" The larger one, wearing rather baggy clothes, simply replied, "An invitation." "An invitation?" The tomboy grinned at the boy's confused reply. "Yes. To the illustrious night raid. So what do you think? Want to make those fucking doves pay for what they've done to us?"

* * *

Ken placed his now empty coffee cup down on its small plate. "After that we ended up in night raid. It was a group of ghouls which, under a ghoul with the over the top name of wild hunt, went on to attack doves in several wards. Looking at it now, it was pretty stupid to get mixed up with them but back then we were desperate. They offered us a safe place and friendship. To an orphan still sore over his parents' murders, their offers of companionship and revenge were just too tempting to ignore. So I joined them and trained under them and killed under them." Ken leaned back and stared at the ceiling light as he continued. "Of course the ironic thing is that while I said I was doing it for my sisters, in reality I was just doing it for myself. As I got more involved in that group, I ignored them more and more. I think at one point I didn't see either of them for a week. After a few months, maybe a year with them, we ran into the damn CCG Reaper. He singlehandedly decimated the entire group and I only escaped thanks to a lucky fall into a flowing stream behind me after surviving his attack. Still took a day to get back to the hideout and find the girls. I apologized, they patched me up, and we fled from the place later that night. We met up with Rize shortly after that and well, you know the rest."

He looked back to the older ghoul who had been listening quietly this entire time. Yoshimura's face was pensive as he thought over the worst memories of the young boy. When he had his thoughts in order he simply asked, "So that is why you're so interested in stopping Touka? You've experienced the darkness of revenge and wish to prevent her from suffering the same." Ken smiled at the man's question. "That's probably most of it. But it's also true that I'm just using this whole thing as an emotional crutch. A way to tell myself that I'm a better man who wouldn't abandon Shiro and Kuro again. That I've grown up into a good big brother." But Ken's smile vanished as he slammed his fist on the table. "But it's still there. The part of me that still howls over the injustice of this world towards ghouls. It still whispers how Touka is right and that I'm just a hypocrite who is just ignoring what he should do. That if it was one of my sisters who was who had been taken from this world, on the side of the street like a dog, I wouldn't stop at just those doves. I'd rip apart their very nest or die trying."

Tears started to fall from the boy's eyes. Such a sore topic had opened up several deep emotional wounds that he thought he had closed. "It's ridiculous. I'm already in college and yet hear I am; crying over how unfair the world is. Like a child." Yoshimura walked across the room and patted Ken's head soothingly. "It's not wrong to be upset over the wrongness of the world. It's the first step in righting it after all. Hopefully the day will come where stories like yours and too many others, are of the past." Ken leaned into the hand; smiling a little. But he still had doubts. "Is it really so wrong? That we exist." He looked to the older man. "Are we really the one's at fault for this messed up world? Or is it the humans? Who use things like law and justice to allow them to slaughter us in some genocidal wrath. What is it that I should do? Am I really doing the right thing by telling Touka not to do this? Or should I be helping her? What should I do?" Ken begged. He wanted the man who had become a second father to him to give him some sort of direction. Whether it was confirmation of his decisions or a scolding and explanation of what he did wrong. But instead the manager just started to make some more coffee. "I can't answer that for you Ken. That is your choice to make. Not mine. I can only hope you make a decision that can you won't regret." He poured the boy a new cup. Before exiting the room. As he left he noticed that another person had been listening through the door. He nodded at Touka as he returned to the ground floor. The young girl now lost in thought. Thinking over what she had heard.

* * *

The next day, Ken was working again. He still felt a bit sensitive after laying his dark past before the old man. However, he felt good about it too. It had actually felt a little nice to open up to someone else about what he and his sisters had gone through. It was when he was lost in his memories, watching a local human family enjoying their lunch, when Touka appeared in front of him. He smiled at her but the young girl just pointed at him and said, "Oi, pudding head. Tomorrow, come with me." She looked at his hair and added, "And dye your hair. Completely black. Tonight." Touka left before he could ask anything. Ken grabbed a few strands of his white hair and twiddled it a bit between his fingers. "Pudding head?"

* * *

Omake

"So this leads into the twenty fourth ward?" Ken asked. Currently he and his sisters were standing around a large hole leading into the underground; Rize behind them. Every instinct in the boy was telling him it was a bad idea to go in there. "Yep," was the single word reply from the older female. Kuro looked at Rize and asked, "And you want us to go in there for a week?" Rize sighed. "Oh come on you survived for over two months on your own and Ken here has fought several doves already. I'm sure you'll be fine." "But…" Shiro started.

Rize, tired of this, simply kicked the three into the hole without warning. As they fell she called down with, "I'll be back here to pick you up on Thursday," and left to go find a nice dinner date for the night. At the bottom of the hole, the three half ghouls were now in a large groaning pile. Ken declared, "When I get out of here, I'm going to kill that bitch."


	18. Chapter 18

Ken scratched his itchy scalp once again. Just as Touka had asked the eldest Kaneki had dyed the white parts of his hair black last night. Granted it was nice in a way to look more normal for once. But there was one problem. Ken hated using hair dye. It smelled horribly; its acidic smell burning his nostrils a bit and making him feel slightly nauseous. It also made his hair feel incredibly itchy as it irritated the follicles. Both he and Shiro preferred to do without and if their white hair would be a problem, then pulling up their hoods or a wig or two did just as well without the irritation. A few of the regulars of Anteiku passed by him as he waited way past the set meeting time. More than a few of them gave him compliments for the change in hair. Though a couple of female ghouls did give him some sympathetic remarks over having to suffer the smell.

Finally Touka showed up carrying two bags. "Here put this on," she ordered; thrusting one of the bags into Ken's hands. Confused, Ken asked, "What's this?" "Clothes," was all Touka answered with. She started pushing him into a public restroom. "Now hurry up and go change. Oh, and don't get them dirty. They're borrowed." Ken gave up and went in to change. He came out a few minutes later, an uncomfortable look on his face as he wore the uniform of a local high school.

Ken looked down at the uniform again, and sighed. "Cosplay? What the hell is Touka planning? If anyone I know sees me like this…" "Oh," Ken looked up to see Touka similarly dressed. "It fits. It won't look weird for us to be together at all. Now that I think about it, you do look like a kid." Ken was slightly shocked by this. _'I do not look like a kid. But still, Touka looks different. Clark Kent effect?'_ he thought. As he idly wondered if glasses could really have that much of an effect on a person's appearance, Touka started to mess with his appearance. She messed up his hair and loosened his tie. Lastly she used a little bit of stage makeup to change up his complexion a bit. Once done, Touka started to lead him somewhere; ignoring any of his questions.

After a few minutes of silence, Ken asked, "Would you just tell me where we are going already? And why I needed to dress up in cosplay and dye my hair for this?" The girl stopped and simply pointed ahead. "Because we are going there." He followed her finger to see the one place in the ward that all ghouls avoided; the CCG offices of the twentieth ward. "Touka. Could you explain to me why we are outside the doves' twentieth ward nest?" "Because we're going in." "Wait, we?!"

Touka grabbed the male half-ghoul by the necktie and dragged him to where this CCG office put up its posters for asking the public for assistance. She pointed down at one that was asking for information on Hinami. "Look at this. They didn't put anything about her face or even a description. Maybe they didn't get a good look at her face after all. If that's true then if we just keep them away then she can safely remain with us." Ken started to catch on. "So you want to go in as "informants" and lead them as far away as possible. Eventually the case will go cold and the CCG will have to give up on the chase for the short term." He looked at the girl as she gave him a smug look. Ken sighed. "That's actually really smart. This actually could work." An irritated Touka smacked him on the back of the head and said, "Don't make it sound so shocking that I came up with a good idea, dumbass."

She headed to the front door while Ken took a second to look at the wanted posters of his family here. He noticed that they had added photos of him and his sisters from their childhood on the bottom of the posters and added a few things to their posters as well. Apparently he had somehow doubled his confirmed kills in the last few days. He wondered if they were making it up or blaming him for every person who died of old age or other natural causes this week in the ward. Though he did notice that someone had decided to include a claim of his "pack" being some sort of group of incestial freaks. _'Note to self. Find the douchebag who put in that last bit.'_ No one bad mouths his sisters. Ever. Once finished reading, he went after Touka.

* * *

After signing in at the front desk, with fake names and addresses of course, they were asked to wait for the information head in some nearby chairs. While sitting Ken listened to the nearby doves chatter as he used his phone to research more about the school their uniforms came from. Apparently the gourmet was a pretty hot topic today. He also noticed the RC gates. He and Touka gave each other a knowing look at the site of the gates. Those things could easily destroy ghoul society the day they are massed produced and placed into service.

Soon a rather young looking woman, who reminded Ken of an otter, approached. "Hi, I'm the information head, Ruisawa. Ma, what cute informants. Nice to meet you," she greeted in a surprisingly cheerful voice for someone who dealt in the extermination of another species. They introduced themselves as Yamaguchi and Kanemoto; two students in the athletics department of their school. Ken did feel like Touka was a bit lazy in making his name but it was good enough for their purpose. After a bit of made up small talk, they began to enact their plan. "You know the river that flows over near Kasahara elementary school right? We saw a girl wearing a dress decorated in clovers just like in the poster. She looked a little tattered and weak didn't see Kanemoto?" Touka explained to the otter woman who wrote down what information they gave her on some official looking paperwork. Ken did his part, answering with, "That's right she was all covered in mud and didn't look like she's slept much either." "Anything else? Anything at all would be helpful really," Ruisawa asked. But both them simply told her they couldn't think of anything else.

As she continued writing down what they said, Touka asked, "So ghouls are really strong right? Do you guys fight them with handguns or rifles or something?" Ken was interested in her answer as well. While he had seen some informal conversations on how the CCG combats ghouls, he had noticed that there was never an official statement from the agency itself on this matter. To be honest it actually confused Ken. What was the point of keeping it secret? It couldn't be fear of public opinion on brutally ripping out body parts to use as weapons. The people would be all for that. So why? The woman put her hands together as she posed way too sweetly. "I'm sorry I'm not allowed to say. But don't you cuties worry. Two very skilled investigators came here from Central. One of them is even extremely handsome and so tall. They eliminated the mother ghoul just recently. I'm sure they can dispatch the runaway child ghoul as well." Hearing the woman cheerily speak about Ryouko's death and murdering Hinami as well in her peppy voice frustrated both ghouls. Ken was really holding back when he said, "But killing such a young girl who doesn't even look like she could hurt anyone. Doesn't that seem a bit messed up?" Without missing a beat the woman answered, "It's okay because ghouls aren't human. They desire to do us harm so it's only natural for us to destroy them." Her smile chilled Kaneki to the bone. It was so easy for her to dismiss an entire group just because of something they couldn't help. He kept up the act though. "Hahaha. I guess so. Sorry for saying something so stupid."

Their mission completed, the two of them headed for the front door. However as they walked someone hit Touka in her wounded arm. She fell to the floor holding it as it stung in complaint. "Oh sorry are you okay," a man's voice asked. She gave a weak no and looked up only for her eyes to lock with inspector Mado's eyes. Both hunter and hunted instinctively recognized each other. Touka quickly got up and rushed toward the door with a muttered sorry. Ken chasing after her.

Meanwhile Mado went over to Ruisawa. "Who were those two students?" he immediately asked. Already half sure that that was rabbit he just bumped into. But he wanted to know why she was here before he moved in. "Ah, some high school kids who just gave us a possible lead on the child ghoul that escaped last time," she answered. "Hoooh." Now that was obviously a lie. Not only because he was certain that the girl was rabbit but also because last time they'd seen the daughter Fueguchi, the young female had been in the hands of Eyepatch. A ghoul like Eyepatch that had apparently been able to escape from him for almost a decade would certainly not be stupid enough to leave the little she-ghoul where a couple dumb little kids would spot it. This smelt like a trap but if so then who was the boy and what part did he play in this? Mado turned to chase after them. As he watched though the boy glance at him; over his left shoulder. Apparently old habits die hard.

Now Mado was estatic. That profile and the look he gave him! There was no mistaking it. It was him. It was Eyepatch. He didn't know why such a cautious ghoul would show up here but it didn't matter. Whether bravery or foolishness, the ghoul had just delivered himself to Mado on a silver platter. There was no way he could let this chance pass. He chased after them and caught up shortly before they reached the doors; just short of freedom. "You two." He took a small sadistic glee at their frightened jumps and gave them his brightest, most deranged smile. "I'm the one in charge of the case you were just talking about. Call me Mado. I wonder could you talk with me about it for a few minutes." He gave an almost theatrical move of his hand to the gate. "Inside." Oh, there panicked faces were just so lovely in mado's eyes. Rabbit tried to give some excuse of needing to leave due to some business but he assured her that it would take only five minutes. As they floundered for an excuse a few of the other CCG employees began to watch; most likely knowing that something was off here. _'What will you do now; Eyepatch-kun?'_

Ken, realizing that there was no way out of this decided to take a gamble. He turned to Touka and told her, "Why don't you go on ahead. I'll stay and answer all of his questions. I'm sure I can spare ten or fifteen minutes for you, Mr. Mado." Touka started to protest but Ken pushed her on and she slowly started to walk to the door. Ken turned towards the grinning investigator. Man how he wanted to punch that stupid grin off of his creepy face. He followed the man's lead towards the gate. He noticed that another man had joined them. Probably his torturer's partner. Well hopefully, if he was right about this, Ken could get out of this if he played his cards right. He was now only steps away from the gates of Hell. _'Abandon hope, all ye who enter.'_

Mado's grin was nearly splitting his face in two. Just a few more steps and he would step through the gate and reveal himself to everyone. Even Eyepatch couldn't escape from here. Not only were there several investigators around with their quinques and he himself still had a small quinque knife hidden in his coat just waiting to sink into his flesh, but the moment the gate was tripped, several AGH 3a's which had been discreetly placed behind the gate, would unleash their foot long four inch diameter projectiles onto the doomed ghoul. Even his speedy regeneration wouldn't be of help. Mado nearly squealed in anticipation as his quarry's first foot stepped into the gate. He got his quinque knife ready and…

Nothing happened. Ken sighed in relief as all the pent up fear melted away. Apparently that time with Shiro hadn't just been a fluke. He turned to see a nice sight. The Dove's face had fallen into a confused frown. He knew he was desperately trying to figure out why it didn't work. He cleared his throat to get the man's attention. "Is there something wrong Mr. Mado?" He made certain that his face looked as confused as it should be.

Mado shook his head and gave a terse, "Nothing," while he tried to figure out how. How had his target tricked the RC scanners? This was obviously a ghoul. And not just any ghoul, but one with a kakuja. Its blood stream should be stirring with RC cells. Was this gate defective perhaps? He'd need to ask maintenance to look over it later. But for now he had a job to do. So he led the thing to the table farthest from the windows. He wouldn't give this ghoul even a chance to escape.

* * *

The gate not reacting had been unforeseen. This left Mado in quite the bind sadly. There was no evidence to support his reasoning of this boy's identity and in fact the gate not reacting would work as strong counter evidence. Meaning he couldn't hold the him for examination or, as he really wanted to do, shank him with his quinque knife and watch it reveal itself in a panic. It just left him with ten to fifteen minutes to find some proof. To make the ghoul slip up. Somehow expose itself. Or at least catch it in a lie. If he could find something wrong with the ghoul's story, he could have it detained for two weeks under the charge of interfering in a CCG investigation. Plenty of time to pin the beast. Only one lie. Mado found himself both frustrated and excited at this situation. To be honest, he desired nothing more than to destroy this foolish ghoul at his own game. _'Come Eyepatch, I'll be the one to lead you down the path to Hell.'_

Amon, though noticing his mentor's unsettled attitude, remained unaware of the hidden duel between the other two men. "My name is Amon Koutaru and this is Kureo Mado. We are the two investigators in charge of this case." He reached his hand out and Ken shook it causally. "Ryouhei Kanemoto. Just your average everyday Japanese high school student. Both he and Mado locked eyes and he smiled. "It's a please to meet you."

Let the games begin.

* * *

Omake: CCG data files

AGH (Anti Ghoul Harpoon) weapon – A device that was originally designed to give Bureau investigators greater firepower when fighting ghouls who proved resistant to quinque bullets used in standard guns. They work much like a harpoon gun using high pressured gasses or are spring loaded allowing them to launch large pointed rods at high speeds at an opponent. There are currently three types of AGH's

AGH 1 "Balista" – the first design created in the late sixties. Attempted to use a spring system to provide the kinetic force to launch the rod. However the system failed as it was large and heavy while proving to be unreliable at even firing or hitting target. Plus the systems reloading time was too long meaning that it could only get one shot off in conflict. Only reached prototype stage and was cancelled after only twelve were made.

AGH 2 "Robin Hood" – The second generation AGH. This one was first designed in the late 90s and in use in the early 2000s. Unlike its predecessor, the Robbin Hood used a gas system to fire; similar to a paintball gun. The reloading system was also simplified and the overall size was shrunk along with the round. The weapon was still too large to be used as personal weapon as well as the kickback being too much for a single person to accurately wield it. So the unit was turned into a fix gun emplacement that could be placed in position before a raid or put on a vehicle. With more accuracy and rate of fire, this AGH proved very effective against Kokaku ghouls as it could pierce even the Kagune itself in some cases. A variation (AGH 2 A) was designed to be automated and could include a self-reloading system. The AGH 2 A's were made into defensive emplacements on CCG facilities.

AGH 3 "Nasu no Yoichi" – the third and current generation. Designed in the late 2000s, it has started to replace the AGH 2 in some places. All units in this section have a self-reloading function and high rate of fire; carrying more rounds than the AGH2 by three times. Being much lighter than either of the previous ones means that this one may one day be usable a handheld weapon. Rumored to use a form of railgun technology to increase the strength of the shot fired. This design was made with the idea of being more effective against Rinkaku types. Its speed of fire and high accuracy is aimed at chasing down the highly maneuverable and speedy rinkakus. The projectiles are also designed to release barbs when they hit their target remain lodged in the ghoul's body and to get in the way of their high regeneration abilities. Many of these rods can actually release RC suppressants to further weaken the ghoul. Comes in multiple types:

AGH 3 – the standard type. A gun emplacement type, similar to the AGH 2 but more advanced.

AGH 3 A – and automated form of the AGH 3. Has a specially designed program to help it track and predict a rinkaku ghoul's movements during a firefight.

AGH 3 B – Uses a revolver like system to fire. Only has six preloaded rounds but the strength of these is greater allowing for long distance snipping or piercing stronger targets.

AGH 3 C – still in the developmental stage. This version is planned to be a handheld version. Allowing the bureau investigators to finally have a stronger weapon when deal with high level ghoul targets.


	19. Chapter 19

Now that the three of them were seated and introduced, it was time to begin. Almost immediately Mado moved in. He figured that if they were pretending to be students of this school then chances were that they had no connection to it. Unfortunately he didn't have time to officially confirm that these students did not actually exist. But, he was sure that whatever knowledge of this school they had would be cursorily in level. So he began with the question, "So Ryouhei-kun, I must say it's nice to see a student from your school. It really is a great facility after all. Tell me, how is Mr. Aizawa doing now a days?" Of course no teacher named that worked there. But this filthy creature wouldn't know that. The CCG would hold assemblies at schools in order to inform the students on the dangers of ghouls and the proper steps that should be taken as well trying to recruit new applicants to the local bureau. Hopefully this fact would lead the ghoul to believe Mado; falling right into his little trap.

Ken smirked slightly in response. _'So that's his game is it?'_ Ken thought. He knew that the crazy looking one named Mado was aware of his identity. But without evidence the man could do nothing to him. So he was trying to make Ken incriminate himself with these questions. And he was already at it with the first one. Luckily for Ken, while they were waiting up front, he had been researching the school to kill time. This had included a few lists of students and employees as well as online chats about the school among students. Ken, trying to look innocent, scratched back of his head and grinned goofily. "Hmmm. Sorry inspector but I don't think I've heard of that name. Maybe he's retired or in a different section. Ah, but if you want to talk about teachers, what about Kyouko chan. Her tits are outrageous."

Mado held out his hand to stop the conversation there. "That's fine. Just wanted to inquire about an old friend." He had to commend the ghoul for this move. It had apparently done a little research in preparation for this farce. Mado would need to be a little more strategic with his next attack. For the first few minutes after that, the questioning continued as normally expected of a CCG interview. Asking about why they were in the area, their route, and such. As it got to the actual encounter, the questions started to get a little more detailed. Asking about exactly how weak it had looked or if the ghoul used the shadows to hide. Ken had a little difficulty making up his answers without sounding too exact for a passing student who just stumbled on something that could literally eat him alive.

It was here that Mado enacted his second big trap. "So tell me," he began. "Was there anyone else you saw with her? Like say a woman with pink hair?" He had given the creature the perfect chance to throw them off their search for rabbit. It could hope to use this to make them search for a girl with actual pink hair. But Mado had made certain to collect some samples from where Kusaba had been killed that had proven that the hair was a synthetic wig. If Eyepatch affirmed this proven false piece of information then it would both prove it was lying and had insider knowledge of the case. He tried to make sure that his sneer wouldn't alert his prey.

Ken thought about this for a bit. It was enticing. If he did answer yes, it was possible to draw some of the heat off of Touka. Even if they had to have very little on her, it could still help draw them even just a bit farther off her tail. However Ken didn't know if he felt entirely good about ad-libbing on the agreed to cover story; despite how little they had put in it. Plus, he didn't like how this tempting question had come from the dove currently waiting to cut him down. It was just too perfect. So instead he decided to play it safe. After "thinking" about it he answered, "Sorry sir. All we saw was the girl. No one was with her. At least when we spotted her. Probably lucky about that. I don't think we would have gotten out of there alive if another one of those monsters was there right?"

Mado grimaced. He had failed twice and his time was now running out. He started to rack his brain for something to pin Eyepatch down. Meanwhile the questioning continued. Amon had been leading it at first as Mado had little interest in false drivel meant to deceive them. But now upset at the slippery fiend avoiding his two assaults, Mado had started to take the reins. The question became much harder and specific. Even an honest witness would find themselves hard-pressed by this barrage of questions. Ken found himself stressed as he was forced to create the perfect answers now; not to correct but not to wrong either. Either way would lead to his doom. He did notice that as this happened, the younger investigator began to look something up on his phone.

Amon had noticed that there was something more going on here. His mentor was trying to hard prove the witness wrong. But for what reason? As far as he could tell he was just some stupid kid. Even if he was lying it was probably a prank. Which would be annoying but not too difficult to deal with. Not worth being harsh enough to possibly lead to complaints by the boy or his parents later and a likelihood of an official reprimand or lawsuit. So what was wrong?

Amon, despite his lack of understanding decided to trust Mado. He double checked something on his smart phone before asking, "Excuse me, but the date on this transcript is correct right?" After the boy answered in the affirmative, mentioning that they had been heading towards a local sports event, he asked, "Then could you explain to me how you saw her in this tunnel? After all, at this time it was flooded due to some public works projects in the area. They needed to divert several water pipes and underground drainage systems in the area. There should be no way she could be in it at that time. Not with that much water running through it."

For a few moments afterwards, it seemed that the world froze around the table. Mado did remember a bit about a report on construction work happening in the ward. The CCG was informed as said work could possibly affect their hunts as the local ghouls could be chased out of their hiding spots, find places to settle in or meet each other in at the construction zones while the workers where away for the night, or use these places to dispose of or hide evidence of their dirty deeds. As for the public, most likely the surrounding residences and businesses had been informed door to door or a flyer had been passed around but not much else. After all it wouldn't interfere too much in the public's daily lives. But said factual information now blew a major hole in their quarry's story. Mado was suitably impressed with his partner and how he had cornered Eyepatch. Now all that was left was to watch the ghoul crash and burn.

At the same time, Ken was thrown for a loop by this. It was possible the doves were making this up. But the fact that it came from the younger one who seemed to not suspect him and had previously been checking up on something in his phone, led credence to it being true. But if so then how should Ken answer. If he believes them, then he'd has to admit he had been lying about the date which would throw his whole testimony into doubt and cause him to fall right into the lap of the doves. He'd need a really good reason to explain why he lied about that while still being somewhat believable. However if they were making this up then it was ok if he stuck to the cover story rather than falling for their bluff. He fretted over it as he started to panic a little. He glanced at Mado again. _'I want to smack that damn grin off his face'_ he thought as he looked at the now smiling older investigator. However this infuriating man would also prove to be his salvation. Mado goaded him with, "What's wrong Mr. Delinquent? You weren't lying to us. Were you?" Being called a delinquent gave Ken the inspiration to try one last gamble.

Ken sighed heavily and relaxed his posture into a more disrespectful form. He took a more challenging look as well; now locking eyes with the two other men as if challenging them. He mockingly raised his hands as he answered, "Okay. You guys caught me. I lied about the date. But I assure you the rest is true." Amon responded, "And how can we trust you now? You lying about the date puts your entire story into question. I hope you understand that filing a false report is a very serious issue." "Look I'm sorry ok. You're lucky that we even came to report the ghoul at all. At first we were just going to ignore it but in the end, decided that something that dangerous needed to be dealt with properly; before someone dies. See, the reason we were actually there a few days ago, was to smoke and drink some beers. School and home have both really stressed us out so we just went to let off a little steam. We saw her as she was coming out of the tunnel for some reason. We were hiding behind some junk so we weren't spotted. If my dad finds out what I was doing down there, he'll kick my ass. So I thought that we could just tell the truth but just change the date. That way the ghoul could be taken care of and we wouldn't get in trouble. Please don't call my parents. Hell if it'll help, you don't even need to give me the reward money for the tip."

Ken waited for the verdict with baited breath. He hoped they bought the story of a stupid teenager doing stupid stuff. And that they didn't decide to press charges on him anyway. Meanwhile, Mado clenched his fist. _'This fucker'_ he mentally raged. Somehow Eyepatch had once again found a way to answer the question without outright revealing himself. Quickly he tried to figure out some way to retake the advantage. He could have the school records in five days after getting through all the legal dealings and red tape. And that was only if the school was cooperative. He figured that he could sadly only hold onto eyepatch for another couple days, maybe three, before the CCG legal and public relations offices would force him to release a troubled kid who just made a small mistake. Accounting could join too. It was expensive to jail someone after all. The little amount of time added with the fact that it would be in police and not CCG custody would mean it would be almost impossible for him to reveal this ghoul. Perhaps an RC levels test. Unfortunately his lack of evidence would most likely prevent that too. Stupid human rights issues were getting in his way. Mado sighed in resignation; still trying to figure out something to salvage from this. "The CCG is not in the business of punishing kids for doing idiotic things like this. But next time don't lie. It's only by my good graces that we are not having you arrested right now." _'Good graces my ass,'_ Ken replied in his mind. Just then his phone went off; the ringtone belonging to Touka. "Sorry sirs, that's my friend from earlier. Looks like she's getting impatient. Gotta go." He ran off without waiting for a dismissal.

As the boy left, Amon turned to his partner and asked, "What was wrong Mado? You seemed almost vindictive at points in that interview. Like your goal was to catch that kid in a lie." Mado just watched the retreating figure disappear through the door before answering by simply stating, "That was Eyepatch." Amon froze for a split second before jumping up; not even questioning how he had slipped through the gate. However his mentor held up his hand in front of the man. "Calm down Amon." "But we can't just let him leave!" Amon nearly screamed at him. Mado lowered his hand as he continued. "We must. We have no real evidence and that lie we caught him in at the end was too small to give us enough to take him down. Don't worry too much Amon. While infuriating, the fact that he was willing to risk himself here must mean that we are close. Hmmm perhaps."

A stray thought had come to Mado as he spoke. From that thought a devious plan began to form. _'Perhaps Eyepatch gave us the perfect chance to take not only it, but the daughter ghoul and rabbit as well. Perhaps the sisters if we are lucky'_ that sickening grin slowly formed on his face again. He began to head into the back to do some research. As he left he told Amon, "I won't be attending the funeral today. I want to work even a minute more. You feel the same too right?" He didn't wait for an answer.

* * *

The funeral was as somber as expected. Most everyone in the twentieth ward CCG office attended. The head of the offices gave a speech and called for a moment of silence. As the crowds dispersed back to their jobs, Amon found himself forced to comfort Nakajima over the loss of his partner. At the diner he had visited with the two before, he was able to both comfort the depressed man some and strengthen his resolve.

Back at his house, he began to exercise in a bid to prepare his body for the coming conflicts. As he exercised, his thoughts drifted to how messed up the world was due to the ghouls. _'I will uphold justice. I promise all of you. The children who lost their precious people, the people who fought to protect others, and those that lost their lives in this broken world. I will change it. I will change this incorrect world.'_

Meanwhile, Mado was putting the finishing touches on his master plan. After looking over the site to get an idea of what he was dealing with, he would be ready. He would use the last chance that Eyepatch and Rabbit gave him to catch all of them in one move. Perhaps he'd keep Eyepatch alive for a bit afterwards though. Mado wouldn't feel satisfied if he didn't get back at the beast for the frustrations it had given him today.


	20. Chapter 20

It had now been a couple days since Ken's adventure and things had settled into an uncomfortable calm. The death of Ryouko was still too painfully fresh to forget about and the pressure from the doves on the ward was still strong. But still, time had begun to march forward. The ghouls of the twentieth ward were forced to carry on with their lives as they continued to deal with both the internal and external strife caused by recent events. Especially poor Hinami who would barely eat or sleep. Instead she would spend most of her time in depressed contemplation.

* * *

Today was a quiet day that saw only a few customers come into Anteiku. Ken, Touka, Shiro, and Kuro had been left to run the café as the others took care of various business around the ward. Still so few people had come in today that all but Touka had decided to take a break. They began to divvy up a newspaper to read amongst themselves. Among the pages was one particular piece of news. It was a simple obituary about a young bureau investigator of the CCG who had been killed by a ghoul.

Shiro was reading this article when Touka yanked the paper away. She collected the whole thing, despite some mild objections from Ken when she took the comics page. As she neatly folded the paper, she noticed a disapproving glare from Shiro. "What the hell is your problem?" she gruffly asked. Shiro simply pointed at her accusingly and replied, "That guy in the paper. The CCG employee. It was you who killed him wasn't it?" Touka glared back at her. "So, you gonna make something of it?" Shiro sputtered a bit as she tried to find the words. "You can't be serious? That's like declaring war on the CCG. Don't you understand what you're doing?" Touka nearly crushed the paper as she tightened her grip into a frustrated fist. "Hmph! I know exactly what I'm doing. What I don't understand is how you can just stand by and ignore that one of our own was murdered for no reason. Or when Hinami could suffer the same fate once one of those rotten doves tracks her down. I won't stop till I kill ever last one of them." Once Touka finished speaking, she coolly walked away to make a cup of coffee for their current dependent and went into the back.

Shiro was almost about to chase after her before her older brother told her, "Drop it Shiro." She immediately turned to the new target of her fury. "You're taking her side?!" she all but screamed at Ken. He sighed in response. _'I really thought she had gotten over this. Though that would have been too easy I guess,'_ "It's not that. Nothing you say to her will help right now. In fact, it probably just make her more angry and resistant. All we can do for now is stay back and watch over her. Let her work out everything. I'm sure she'll come to the right answer eventually." However Ken was not expecting what his sister said next. "I can't accept that. Not again." Realization as to what she actually meant slowly dawned on him as she continued. "To be forced to watch someone putting themselves through such pointless danger and suffering. To be forced to watch each and every time as they leave on their stupid quest for revenge with the fear deep in your gut that this will be the last time you'll see them. That the by the end of the day you'll lose them on some pointless self-serving sacrifice. Getting revenge for Hinami? Yeah right, if you were really doing this for her you'd stay by her side. She needs her loved ones close not some stupid concept of justice or vengence. This is for no one but yourself. To appease your anger and nothing more." At the end of her triad, Shiro was openly crying. Ken, now feeling a bit guilty himself, hugged her and petted her head. "It'll be alright. I promise you, Shiro. I won't let anything happen to Touka. I'll protect her and we can go back to those happy days again. Before the doves attacked." Shiro simply sniffled in response.

* * *

Touka lightly knocked on the door before entering the room. Inside, she found Hinami just waking up. She smiled warmly at the young ghoul before apologizing for waking her. "I heard you're not eating. That's no good. You're a growing girl after all," she continued; placing the cup of coffee on the table. Hinami smiled weakly and answered, "Ok." Touka could tell that the depressed girl was not taking what she said to heart. So she sat next to her and rubbed her head affectionately. "You don't have to worry about anything. I'll take care of everything and you can also rely on everyone else at Anteiku. I promise you, instead of being stuck in this small room, I'm gonna show you the whole wide world." She hoped that her words could inspire Hinami a little and get her out of her slump.

However what brought the excitement back to her tired eyes was not Touka's speech but instead the simple newspaper she held in her arm. "What's that?" Hinami asked. Touka smiled at her again. "It's a newspaper. The manager likes them so from time to time he buys one and leaves them in the café." "That's amazing, there's so many Kanji." Touka lightheartedly sighed at how Hinami could be amazed at something so simple. So she threw the paper to the little girl. "Here take it. It can help with your studies after all." For the first time in a while, Hinami's face lit up in a big smile. "Thanks you big sister. If there are any big words I don't know then I can ask big brother Kaneki," she excitedly rambled to Touka's slight dismay at losing out to that dumbass Ken. However her kind demeanor grew cold as she left the room. It was time to continue her mission against the doves.

* * *

Later Touka watched as the doves searched the place she had set for their next confrontation. She couldn't help but feel a bit smug. As the doves floundered around on her little stage. All the pieces were falling into place.

However what she didn't know was that two of them had already caught on to her plan. Amon walked over to where his mentor was watching, studying the area. "What do you think Mado?" he asked. Mado grinned with his iconic slasher smile as he put it all together. He started to snicker a little too. "Quite the interesting choice, eh Amon? This kinda battlefield will certainly put me at a disadvantage with lack of maneuverability for my current favorite quinques. Seems like that rabbit she-ghoul has finally gotten her head on straight. Or maybe it's that slug, Eyepatch, who picked it out." As he continued to ponder, his partner Amon gripped his hands in frustration. "To be played around with by these beasts. It's infuriating," he snapped. Mado though simply waved at him to calm down. "Now now, calm down Amon. It won't do you any good to get upset. Dulls the senses. Besides I have already prepared some things for this little game. Soon all this will come to a close."

* * *

A few days later, Hinami was reading the newspaper Touka had given her; excitedly absorbing all the new words and kanji she came across. She tried to figure out each one by herself first so she could show off to the others at Anteiku. However she came across one word in particular. She pulled out her dictionary and found said word meant sorrow or regret over the death of a person. _'Huh, that's just like me,'_ she idly thought. What her thoughts about the word itself were was lost after she saw the picture next to the article. She instantly recognized it as one of the men who had been a part of the group that had killed her mother. Slowly it dawned on her what Touka had really meant that day. This realization filled her with both anger and sorrow. She looked out the window as she decided on what she had to do.

* * *

Meanwhile, downstairs, none of the employees of Anteiku noticed anything wrong. They continued their work just like any other day. Nothing out of the ordinary happened as they served customers and engaged in small talk. Touka thanked whatever god was listening, that Hide didn't appear to ask her out once again.

Eventually night fell and with it the closed sign was placed over the door. Eventually only the Kanekis and Touka remained. As Touka put on her jacket she asked, "Did you lock the door Ken?" The only male here answered, "Yeah. Oi, you two ready." Shiro came out of the restroom, drying her hands and gave him a simple nod in confirmation and Kuro, sitting at a table reading her baking book, answered, "I'm ready. Just been waiting on Shiro." Shiro playfully smacked her sister for that. It seemed that everything was finished and it was time to head home.

However all three girls were alerted when Ken asked, "Hey is it just me or is it a little too quiet upstairs." Touka grimaced. "Hinami's probably just asleep right now. Stop trying to freak us out Bakaneki." However Touka couldn't keep the slight fear out of her voice at what Ken's question could mean. Shiro also added, "When I went upstairs earlier this afternoon, she didn't respond either." Ken added, "Don't you think she's sleeping a bit too much." Now worried, all four of them headed upstairs to check up on the young girl.

Touka knocked on the door but there was no answer. So she opened the door only to find an empty room and an open window. For the first few moments no one moved. Simply standing there in stunned silence.

"No way," Touka whispered in shock. Her mind was in a panic as she tried to figure out why the young girl had decided to run away. Was it her fault? But she had done it all for her. Was she really going to lose a loved one again? Where did she go? It took Ken to knock her out of her questioning panic. "Touka," he called to her. Once he was certain he had gotten her attention, he continued. "We need to find her before the doves do. Go check the nearby park. The rest of us will check elsewhere." Touka could only numbly nod back at him.

* * *

At the same time, Hinami was wandering the streets of the now quiet twentieth ward. She slowly ambled like a zombie with no real destination set. Just getting away from Anteiku. However, as she walked a certain scent reached her nostrils. Though somewhat stale and a bit wrong, the scent was still immensely comforting. She started to head towards it. "Mother."

* * *

Touka leapt across the rooftops as she continued to search for Hinami. They hadn't found the young girl in the area around the café. So after a quick call to inform the manager the four of them spread out to search the entire ward. Touka took off in the direction of the elementary school area that she had set up for trapping the doves at. As she searched for the missing ghoul child, her thoughts returned to the fear that she had chased away Hinami. Just like with her brother. But as she pondered though, she suddenly smelled a familiar scent. _'This scent is … What the hell is going on?'_

A scream suddenly filled the air. Touka instantly knew it was Hinami, as she leapt towards the scream. Like some sick joke, the place she arrived at turned out to be the very tunnel she had sent the doves to earlier. She ran towards the tunnel; barely noticing when Shiro arrived a few moments after her. Both girls followed the sounds of crying to where the younger girl lay; cradling a bag that smelled an awful lot like Ryouko. Touka took a few steps closer to her. "Hinami. Thank god you're safe. We were all afraid that we'd lost you. Come on, it's not safe here. Let's all go back home."

But she and Shiro were both caught off guard by the defiant "No," that came from Hinami. "No matter where I go, I'm gonna die. Somehow, I'll be killed like mother. That glasses guy from the CCG was killed too. Was it you Big sister? I'm only bringing more suffering to everyone by staying her. I'll surely be killed as well. Those people who killed mother are going to kill me too. So I have to run. Far away. Far far away." She hugged the bag. Noticing this, but not really wanting an answer, Touka asked the distraught girl, "Hinami… what's in the bag?" Hinami tensed for a second before revealing the bags contents while simply answering with, "Mother."

Both of the older girls could feel the bile in their throats at the contents. The bag contained pieces of Ryouko's body. Some of the scrap waste left over after the CCG was finished processing a ghoul's body that was normally cast aside without even some semblance of a decent burial. All of it showed signs of decay. Touka's rage reached the boil point as she pictured what she'd do to the sick person who'd pulled this disturbing prank. However she also became concerned as she looked over at Shiro. Shiro suffered something similar to a small PTSD attack as flashbacks to the death of her own mother and father, and all that had followed, flowed across her mind's eye. She trembled a little as she hyperventilated a small bit and shook slightly.

Hinami then asked, "Why is it so wrong for ghouls to live?! Why?!" Both girls were brought back to the present by this sad plea. Shiro gave the best smile she could and comfortingly rubbed Hinami's head. "Listen Hinami. I know what you're going through, sadly. But I promise you, you can get through this. You're strong. So please, please don't leave us. We'll take care of you. Trust me." Touka also stated, "When me and Ken went to the CCG earlier, they couldn't show me even a portrait of you. Only those four that were there that day know what you look like. Hinami," she dropped down and hugged the young female ghoul. "I promise you. I will protect you. I won't let those guys kill you. I'll swear it" After a short pause she continued with, "I don't know whether it's right for ghouls to live either. But it should have some significance right?" Hinami stayed still as she simply soaked up all the comfort and love the other two offered her. "Yeah," was all that she said.

A little while later, Touka got up and pulled out her phone to call Ken, Kuro, and the manager. She left Hinami to Shiro as she started to dial. First, Touka dialed up Ken. When he answered, she said, "Ken, I'm with Shiro now. We found Hinami." She heard a heavy sigh on the other end of the line. "Thank goodness. Where are you guys now?" Currently, Touka was facing away from the entryway to the tunnel. "We're near Kasahara elementary at the…" but a pained scream interrupted her answer. Touka spun around in time to see Shiro pulled away from Hinami by a red rinkaku quinque that had pierced her stomach; her phone breaking as she dropped it. The quinque placed Shiro right between Touka and the crafty dove that had found them; as a human shield. Shiro wiggled like a worm caught on a fish hook as she panicked and tried to get away despite the pain from moving. Though she froze in fright when the dove who caught her simply stated, "Now that wasn't very observant of you, Sasaki-chan. I'm honestly disappointed"

* * *

"TOUKA! TOUKA!" Ken screamed at his phone after he heard the scream and Touka shout for his sister. His worst fears of losing yet another family member seemed close to being realized. He tried to call Kuro but received no answer. "Damn it," he cursed; putting his phone away. He started to head to where he believed Touka was. He calmed his nerves as he ran. If it came to a fight then it wouldn't do anyone any good for him to be a panicked mess.

He pulled out his masked and put it on. However, he also spotted something along his path. It was another dove. The partner of that Mado freak to be precise. And he was running straight for the waterway tunnel also. Ken made a split second decision. While he did need to get to Touka, Shiro, and Hinami as soon as possible, it wouldn't be a good idea to ignore a dove that he could take out now instead of letting him threaten the others. Plus they didn't have their masks on and there was no way he could let this man see their faces as well. So he'd take care of this murderer first, then continue on his way to the others.

* * *

Amon had received the signal from his partner. The ghouls had taken the bait and Mado had already moved in to finish them all. It was Amon's job to provide back up and eliminate any other ghouls who tried to approach the operation zone. His face was grim as he vowed that he wouldn't let a single one of the escape this time. He would see to it that this scourge was defeated before more innocent victims were lost to them.

He barely spotted the shadow from above coming down upon him. He dodged as a figure slammed their leg into the ground. _'If I hadn't dodged that just then, than my leg would have been broken. No, maybe even completely ripped off,'_ he realized as the ghoul that had attacked him removed his leg from the small crater he formed. It turned to face him and he instantly recognized the mask.

"Eyepatch!"

The ghoul mockingly posed as it said in a sing songy voice, "Oh Mr. investigator. Can you come out and plllaaaayyyy?"


	21. Chapter 21

Both of the men stood still but ready; staring each other down like two feuding cats. Ken estimated that this dove couldn't be any higher than second class. So he was pretty confident that he could handle anything that he could throw at him. Meanwhile Amon was much less optimistic. Eyepatch was a notorious SS rank ghoul who was known to have killed multiple CCG personal and was now believed to have a kakuja of some sort. Plus the battle field wasn't favorable as it would give the ghoul space to use its high speed and maneuverability to its full advantage. Still Amon mentally affirmed to himself that he would defeat this ghoul. Even if it took an arm or a leg, he would make certain to punish this monster for all the lives he had taken and families he had torn asunder. All he had to do was trust in his training and his quinque.

Ken gave a jovial smile, though it was impossible to see under the mask, and asked, "I guess it would be too much to ask of you to forget about me and the others and for you to just go back home for the night, huh?" the dove answered by simple increasing the hostility in his stare and tightening his grip on his briefcase. Ken sighed deeply and looked crestfallen. "That's what I thought. Oh well, you can't accuse me of not being reasonable with you."

The instant after he finished this line, Ken struck. He used his superior ghoul abilities to appear right in front of the other man and before he could react, slam his open palm into the others solar plexus. Amon was pushed back about half a foot and all the air was forced out of his lungs. He was barely able to stay standing as his knees tried to buckle. He did cough heavily though. But still he weathered the hit. Ken was honestly surprised by this. He cocked his left eyebrow up as he reevaluated the man. "Most impressive Mr. Dove. I was actually aiming to knock you out with that one blow. Things would be so much easier if you would just take a nap right now, don't you think?"

Amon gritted his teeth before charging at the ghoul. "Don't underestimate me!" he practically roared. For a few seconds the two jostled. Ken still pulled ahead in the spat but was pretty impressed by this dove. He certainly hadn't slacked off on his training as, despite the physical disadvantage between ghouls and humans, he was holding his own pretty well. After the two had broken away from each other, Ken tilted his head and replied, "Underestimate you? I was just paying you a compliment. Your ability to sufficiently fight a ghoul in hand to hand combat is quite amazing actually."

Amon's response was to scrunch up his face in disgust. "Being complemented by one of your kind makes me feel unclean. But since your feeling so talkative, there's something I've always wanted to ask you ghouls. To fulfil your desire to eat, you calmly murder innocent people. There are so many children who have lost their parents to your hands." He activated his quinque now. "The surviving people's feelings… sadness… loneliness…the empty lies. Have you ever imagined what it's like?" Amon waited for the ghoul's answer. Expecting some sick reasoning of the cheapness of human lives or something. But instead what happened was that the beast fell silent and seemed to quake a little.

Despite what some of his enemies liked to claim, Ken did in fact have feelings. He loved his family and friends. He felt happiness curling up with a good book. He felt scared of his sisters' disapproval when he screwed up. Sadness at the thought of his lost parents. And right now he felt rage over what this man had said. _'How dare you of all people say that, dove! What about my feelings of loneliness and sadness at the loss of my parents? What's the difference here?! Huh?!'_ he thought. However he didn't voice these questions. Too angry to talk, he brought out his kagune and prepared to end this in one attack.

He had been too soft on this man; letting his consciousness interfere too much. He could tell that overall this Amon person was a good man, if a little misguided on ghouls. Maybe in another world they could have been friends. But now he was an enemy who was interfering in the young half-ghoul's attempt to save the others from Mado's sick game. There was no more time to try and avoid giving the other too much serious injury. So he would use his full power to end this now and smash this dove's quinque then follow up with a powerful strike to his jaw. It would probably shatter his mandible and cause a few brain legions, but at least it would succeed in knocking the man out for a few hours and allowing Ken to continue on.

Amon at this time, could see the change in Eyepatch. Though he, like many of his compatriots, claimed that ghouls were unfeeling monsters, right now he recognized the anger radiating off of the other. It actually scared him a bit. Though he wouldn't let that show. He watched as the ghoul released its vile kagune and then set into a recognizable pose. It was a pose that he had seen multiple times during his research into Eyepatch and preparation for their eventual duel. _'He's going to go after my quinque,'_ Amon realized. So he also got into position.

In one instant both men made eye contact. In the next they charged forward. Ken swung down with all of his kagune aimed at one point on the other's quinque as Amon moved to block his attack with it. However what he didn't see as his kagune met the surface of the quinque was the grin on Amon's face.

* * *

Mado gave another one of his iconic smiles as he continued to hold poor Shiro in the air with one of the last remnants of her father. He looked to over to Hinami who was trembling on the ground at the sight of the man who had plagued her nightmares for weeks now. "It's been a while young Fueguchi," he stated as he then turned to the irate Touka. "And Yamaguchi? No that's a fake name. How about I call you…" he noticed the small rabbit keychain on her now destroyed phone. "Rabbit."

If looks could kill, then Touka would have murdered this man a thousand times over. She wanted to rip this man apart so badly. But right now she had to first save Shiro. The fact the man seemed to ignore the fact that he still had her impaled as some hostage only increased the loathing that Touka felt for this callous piece of human garbage. "Let her go," she ordered. "Hmmm?" She only felt more frustrated as the dove acted like he didn't hear her properly. "I said let Shiro go!" she shouted at him.

This time Mado openly laughed at her. "Ah, sorry sorry. I forgot entirely about you, Sasaki-chan." He looked her over as he observed, "So you're called Shiro huh? Not the most imaginative name is it?" He suddenly noticed something as he yanked the girl closer to him. Shiro could only squeak in fear and barely keep from fainting over the pain and how the dove now brought her face to face with him. Eye to eye. His creepy grin only got wider. "Ah so that's how Eyepatch got around the gate," he stated as he truly noticed the two mismatched eyes of the young she-ghoul. "So you really were hybrids. Oh, the researchers back at headquarters would be drooling over you and your siblings. Hmm I wonder if I could get them to dissect you and your sister as your brother was forced to watch. I bet his face would be spectacular." However his face soon changed into one of disgust. "Still to think that you're whore of a mother would sleep with beasts like ghouls. Truly one of the most disgusting things I've ever heard of. As if it wasn't enough of a problem when they breed, now we have to deal with abominations like you."

"Don't," Shiro painfully whispered. She now stared down the dove despite the fact that she was still very much afraid. Part of her wanted to curl up into a ball and give up or panic. But a bigger part of her could not let what he said go unchallenged. Whether it was simply pride or her love for her family she didn't know. She grabbed onto the quinque in her stomach and tried to futilely pull it out as she now yelled back, "Don't you dare disrespect my family! My siblings and I are not abominations! My father was a not a beast! And my mother… my mother was a way better human than you'll ever be!" Mado just looked at her like she had offended him somehow before he forced the quinque to wiggle and twist in her gut; causing more pain to the girl as her screams now filled the tunnel. Hinami shrunk to the ground as she covered her ears to try and block out the screams while Touka proclaimed, "You bastard!" and charged at Mado. The man just grinned again as he flung the quinque pierced girl he held into the wall of the tunnel and activated one of the other quinque's he'd brought for the battle. The spiked tentacle of the new quinque flew towards the Ukaku ghoul.

The now released Shiro, with the red rinkaku still embedded in her gut, slammed heavily into the wall. Causing it to crack. She slumped onto the ground unmoving as her blood leaked out around her body.

* * *

Ken's kagune slashed into the club like quinque Amon favored. However, instead of breaking, the club actually survived the blow. "What?!" Ken couldn't stop from crossing his lips. However he wasn't given any time to think as in the next instant the dove roared a mighty battle cry before swinging for the opening he had waited for. Ken blocked it with his arm but he felt the bone inside crack. But Amon didn't stop. He swung again and again; knowing that if he paused for one second, this ghoul would that opportunity to kill him. He thought back to what doctor Chigyou had explained to him when he was selected among those going to the thirteenth ward suppression mission.

* * *

"An opening after he breaks the quinque?"

"Hai, watching videos taken of some of his battles, you can see how Eyepatch uses the full force of his kagune in that attack. So there is an opening for a few seconds afterwards where his entire front is unguarded. If taken advantage of, then even a novice investigator could score a powerful blow against him. Well it's not like such a powerful move could be done without some risk after all."

Amon watched as Chigyou played a recording of the attack on a screen they were sitting in front of. He also noticed how the unfortunate investigator in the tape was also cut down shortly afterwards by the ghoul. Confused he asked, "But how exactly am I supposed to take advantage of an attack made specifically to break my weapon. If it really was as easy as you make it out to be, then we wouldn't have lost so many talented individuals to him already."

Chigyou was waiting for him to ask that. He grinned as he pulled out a marker and went to the dry erase board nearby to explain the plan to Amon. "You see here, it's all in how he breaks them. It's my belief that Eyepatch is targeting the grain of the quinque. You see kagune, and by extension the quinque they are reformed into, are basically just large muscles. And as such, they have a grain, or the direction in which the muscle fibers align. While still needing a large amount of power, it is much easier to cut with the grain instead of against it. Which also means it will save energy and strength that Eyepatch wouldn't want to waste in a battle. So, taking this into consideration I designed the cross stitch design."

"Cross stitch design?" Amon asked. "Yes," the head research clarified, "Simply put we layered the quinque in a way so that the grain reverses back and forth inside the weapon; giving the grain a cross or x like shape. This theoretically should strengthen your quinque and make it more durable even if he tries to cut it against the grain. Unfortunately this technology is limited as the procedure is both costly and time consuming. There is also an almost 60% chance of total failure in the manufacturing or upgrading process that could result in the complete loss of the quinque. Though koukaku quinque have a much higher percentage of surviving at 47%. So we ask of you, investigator first class Koutarou, will you accept this request to use an untested design to bring down Eyepatch?"

* * *

' _HIT! HIT! HIT!'_ Amon put all of his being into trying to hit Eyepatch. He knew he had only a minute, maybe two, before the ghoul could fully recover. Already Eyepatch was dodging his assaults faster and with more ease then when he started. He also started to counter a bit. But Amon kept close to the ghoul as he still seemed to have problems with close range combat. He dodged another strike before accusing, "You and that other ghoul, rabbit. That bitch killed one of my allies just days ago. Why was he killed? Because he was an investigator? Because he was human? Don't fuck with me! There was no reason for his death?! This world is wrong! And you ghouls are what is corrupting it!"

Amon moved swung his club at Ken again. Ken successfully dodged but was obviously a bit more sluggish. Unknown to the other, Amon's words had struck his opponent in more ways than one. Ken felt saddened, at how right the man was that the world was corrupted. A bit of guilt for most of those he had killed in his short life, and frustration at how, not just this man, but humanity in general loved to place all the blame on the ghouls. Was it really only the ghouls' fault that the world was so messed up? These thoughts and feelings weighed heavily on the half-ghoul; causing his reactions to be slowed. It also made him miss something important about his surroundings.

As he stepped back from another swing, Ken stepped into a puddle and slipped. Now completely off balanced, Ken was at Amon's mercy. And so Amon swung down with righteous fury upon the villain before him.


	22. Chapter 22

Touka easily maneuvered around the quinque and continued to charge at Mado; somewhat impressing the seasoned investigator. "Splendid," he barked. "If I don't in enforce your destiny to die here today then just like Eyepatch and Owl, you'll become a troublesome ghoul." However his next attack was blocked by one of the pillars holding up the roof of the tunnel. Touka used this to slip under the quinque and close in on Mado; allowing a smirk to cross her face. _'Your weapon is difficult to use in this place. You fell right into my trap.'_ However, while she started to bring out her kagune, Mado tossed aside his current quinque and brought out yet another silver case. Touka barely had enough time to notice it before Mado activated it. The case opened up and brought out a large koukaku quinque.

Surprised, Touka jumped back to gain some distance from the new weapon. _'Another one?! What the Hell is up with this guy?!'_ she thought as she observed the new quinque. _'It's completely different from the other two.'_ But her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Hinami panic. "Hinami?" she asked only for Hinami to shake even more. Suddenly Mado started to chuckle as he said, "Since I had to have it made in a hurry, I had to bring two different cases. What do you think? After all, it is your beloved mother! Because quinques are made from the kagunes of ghouls!" By the end of his explanation, Mado was practically livid. His face flush with excitement at the despair of the young daughter ghoul. He was rewarded with her scream of despair before, blinded by fury, Rabbit charged at him again; her kagune now flaring out behind her.

* * *

Amon swung down with all the force he could bear on the incapacitated Eyepatch. Currently, there was no way for him to avoid it, so Ken just tried to best prepare himself to weather the hit. However what made contact was not the quinque but a female figure that landed a flying kick into Amon's side. Amon was bucked to his right; allowing Ken to slip to the left and roll away with only a cut on his cheek.

Amon was able to quickly recover and look to who had hit him. The figure was a female adolescent. Her clothing and backpack were rather ordinary. However what was distinctive was the mask she wore. He recognized the black and white bar covered full face mask from days of research on this ghoul pack. "S rank, Yin," he stated to himself. This wasn't good. Another high caliber level ghoul joining the fight along with Eyepatch now completely recovered from the Amon's earlier surprise assault meant that victory was almost impossible for the investigator now. Still, even though he accepted that he would die, Amon refused to simply give up. He'd go down fighting and hopefully weaken them enough for Mado to defeat afterwards. However he was not expecting for Yin to grab Eyepatch by the head and head-butt him with her mask still on.

"Owwww, what the hell was that for ku….Yin?" Ken asked as he rubbed his now cracked skull. "For fucking around!" the young girl yelled at her brother. "Big bro is strong; the strongest. There is no way that he would let such a dove put him in such a position if he was serious." Ken could hear the fear as well as rage in her voice. "He would win and save us all. He would fail. He wouldn't leave us behind like mom or dad." The younger half ghoul shivered a little. Feeling somewhat exhausted and vulnerable after releasing such emotions and fears.

Ken started to laugh. Somehow having his sister yell at him had helped clear his mind. He rubbed her head lovingly before telling her, "Wait here. I'll finish this and then we can go save the others, all right." Kuro nodded at him and he smiled warmly back.

Turning his attention back to Amon, Ken willed his Kagune to reform as he said, "Mr. Investigator. Truth is, I hate people like you." Changing into three blade-like tentacles, sharper and more rugged then his standard ones. "People who only look at one side of the problem. Have you ever thought what it's like for us on the other side? No you haven't, have you?" He knew he wouldn't get an answer, so he just waited for Amon to get ready for round two before attacking.

* * *

Touka tried to hit the mad dove, only for the new quinque to repel it easily. She then jumped out of the way when it tried to engulf her. Mado couldn't help but laugh at her foolhardiness. "Acting on impulse without much consideration for the consequences. Such a foolish ghoul." Wielding the koukaku with even greater skill than its previous wielder had, Mado used one of the four petals like sections to grab Touka by the leg and yank her into the air. "And that's why you'll die tonight."

Mado then threw Touka by her leg into one of the pillars in the tunnel before impaling her with the quinque. Touka could only flail futilely as Mado objectively looked over her to Hinami's horror. "You'll make some fine materials." He made the koukaku squirm in her gut, listening to her screams, as he continued to rate her kagune material. "Hmm you're modification grade. Perhaps I could find a way to use you with Eyepatch's kagune. A rinkaku/ukaku quinque could be most useful indeed." He picked up the quinque fashioned from Hinami's father as he continued. "But still. Using this husband and wife set is spectacular. Kukuku, you should have seen the face that that ghoul bitch made when I ended her with her husband. Ne, Fueguchi-chan?" "I am …going to kill you… you old… fucker," Touka struggled to proclaim, much to Mado's amusement.

"Hmph…. You're just a hyena. Salivating over rotten flesh. Nothing more than trash. Why do you still try to survive while committing such sins?" Mado confronted Touka with. For a moment, the young ghoul went silent. Whether he had honestly asked or was just messing with her, she decided it to answer truthfully. "I think… It's because we want to live. Is there something wrong with that?! We were all given life and raised…. If the only thing you can eat is people then that's what you have to do right? How can we live correctly with bodies like these? How?! All of you bastards, go on and on about evil and justice but could you keep saying that stuff if you were a ghoul yourself?! You piss me off. You should all just go and die. Die die die… all of you shit-headed doves should just die already!" Touka paused for a second, her face sorrow filled, before ending with, "Even ghouls, even I want to live just like you guys."

Mado looked at her with contempt. "I'm tired of listening to you," he replied. "How revolting. To think that monsters like you wish to live calmly." He swung down with his quinque at Touka. "DIE!"

* * *

Amon quickly realized how hopeless this fight was now. The only reason he hadn't been struck was simply because the ghoul hadn't aimed for him. Instead, as if playing with him, all of its strikes were aimed at his giant club-like weapon. However, unlike the first attack, these were not neat or cleanly aimed. These strikes were rough and each one hitting made Amon's hands go numb for a few moments afterward. Each one left rough gashes in his quinque despite the reinforcement. Eyepatch was no longer trying to incapacitate but to win.

With one final strike from the rinkaku, a loud crack was heard and Amon's weapon was broken in half. The upper half flung into the air before crashing onto the ground and dissipating. Before Amon could process this, the ghoul was upon him. Its kagune ensnaring him like a large serpent; barely allowing him space to breath. It dangled him up in the air as both Eyepatch and Yin stared at him. He could see blackness encroach on his peripherals. _'So this is how I'm going to die?'_ he realized.

But fate had other plans as the ghoul suddenly flung him across the canal. He landed painfully on the other side; actually landing on the roadside above the embankment to the shock of a couple passerby. He struggled to get back up and was able to look back as Eyepatch waved at him before both he and Yin fled in the direction of where Mado had set his trap in. Amon, partially due to shock and partially due to his injured ankle, flopped onto the ground; ignoring the worried young man and his girlfriend offering assistance. _'Why?'_ he wondered. _'Why didn't you kill me? Why you let me live?'_

* * *

Mado's quinque never reached Touka. In fact the weapon was no longer even in his hand. "The quinque disappeared," Mado simply observed. He then felt a pain in his right hand. "No, what disappeared was my right hand?" he pulled his hand out only to find a bloody stump where it used to meet his wrist. Alerted by her sobbing, the other two people in the tunnel turned to Hinami and observed her now released kagune. Both were shocked at the crying girl. Her hands hiding her face, Hinami pleaded, "Stop hurting big sister Touka. Don't…. Don't use mother and father for such things!" Suddenly the two tentacles of her kagune lashed out chaotically; striking wildly and cutting into the tunnel walls and nearby pillars.

Rather than frightened, Mado was ecstatic. Forgetting about Touka, he used the koukaku quinque to block as he dodged multiple attacks from Hinami's out of control kagune. He then used it to attack her. Striking at the Hinima's kagune. His face now mad, Mado shouted, "Spectacular. Amazing! You only inherited the parts that surpass both your mother and father! Such good material! I want it!" In his excitement, he tossed away Hinima's mother's kagune and grabbed her father's again before flinging it at her proclaiming, "Hand it over!"

Hinami stepped back in fear but her kagune shot forward and wrapped around the offending tentacle. Mado found himself hoisted into the air by his quinque before one of the kagune tentacles slashed into stomach. He dropped his quinque as he crashed back into the ground.

At first everything fell silent as Hinami's quinque finally calmed down. Only the sounds of heavy breathing, tears, and moving water permeated the air. Touka was the first to speak. "Hinami," she said, "Finish him." However, the older ghoul was shocked when her ward refused to. "Finish him? I… can't." Touka, Still trying to keep her innards in, begged, "Hi…nami, He's your parents enemy right? I can't do any more than this. You have to…" Hinami simply answered with, "I've also thought about it. Would getting revenge on this on this person… would it really erase these depressed feelings of mine?" Slowly her kagune retracted back into her body. "But, that's not the case. I … don't care about revenge. I was just sad. I wanted to meet my mother and father. That's it. I want to go back to back to the time when it was the three of us. Father! Mother! Leaving me behind was unfair! I'm so lonely!"

The young orphan once again began to wail in emotional turmoil. Touka, struggled over to the girl and wordlessly cradled her in her arms. However their comforting scene was interrupted by that same vile laughter. "That's right," Mado proclaimed as he grabbed one of his quinques. "You're lonely aren't you? She should be with her family. Therefore she should become one of my quinques." He once again swung a quinque at the two girls too exhausted to move. But two new figures appeared. Both of them unleashed their rinkakus and used them to receive the attack. "Ken," Touka said in shock as the male half-ghoul gritted his teeth and used his kagune to fling the quinque away from them all. Both he and Kuro had removed their masks on the way over as wearing them lowered their visibility. Ken's now dangled around his neck while Kuro had placed her's in her backpack where she also had Shiro's and even Touka's. She had placed them there in the fear that they may have been needed.

Ken now stood up straight and stared back at the dove that had caused them such pain over the last few weeks. His kagune now in a defense form that would probably have frightened any lesser man but to Mado it was nothing more than a preview of his next quinque. Neither man, neither smiling or grim faced, moved when Kuro screamed out, "Shiro!" and ran to the where her sister still lay on the ground. She pulled the girl up while trying to get her attention. She was rewarded by a coughing fit and some painful groans from her twin. "Kuro?" she weakly asked as her sister, teary eyed, hugged her in relief. Kuro then carefully brought her wounded sister over to where Touka and Hinami now were as the two men kept each other in check.

Ken broke the ice with, "It's been a while huh, Smiley?" He heard the sharp intake of breath as one of his sisters recognized that nickname. He had only just realized it that day, during his interrogation in the CCG office. That this was the same man who, while they never met and only knew from watching the CCG raid places they had hid in previously, had been one of their most diligent pursuers when they were on the run. The reminder brought back many unpleasant memories to the young hybrid family.

Mado simply grinned even more. "Kukuku, never been called that before. But I must say it's nice to finally, truly meet with you face to face Eyepatch-kun." Mado slowly walked a few feet over to where he had left the kokaku quinque earlier. "I must admit you are probably one of the slipperiest ghouls I have ever had to displeasure of meeting. If only your father hadn't been successful in escaping with you during that raid all those years ago." He suddently shoved the controller for the quinque into his right wrist with only a slight grimace in discomfort. "But then I wouldn't have the chance to pluck such a wonderful kagune from your disgusting flesh. To think of the wonderful quinque it could be fashioned into" He slowly forced the weapon to now respond to his commands despite no longer even have the muscles to truly control it. Yet he was amazingly able to get it to work well enough for the coming fight. "Come Eyepatch. Let's truly finish this sordid tale of man versus beast!"

Ken took a step forward only to be surprised when Kuro appeared next to him; her kagune angrily swishing around her. They both exchanged a look before leaping at Mado. The crazed dove laughed as he struck at both the incoming half-ghouls with his quinques.

Meanwhile, Touka did her best to look after the other two girls. Hinami was emotionally exhausted but mostly ok but Shiro still looked worse for wear despite her accelerated healing kicking in. As she tried to help Shiro sip from a water bottle though she heard the sound of footsteps coming from deeper in the tunnel. Someone else was coming towards them.

* * *

Omake: Author's confessions – two things that I don't actually know in my my own fanfic.

How Mado carried three quinque cases. Those suitcases are made to be carried two in one hand easily. For now I see him with the third on his back like a Japanese elementary school randsal.

How big the quinque made from the kagune of Takashi Sasaki really is. I really don't know. Every time I write about it, the size keeps changing from being huge enough to crush a phone pole to being small enough to pierce Shiro without destroying her vitals. For now its size is decided by the rule of cool.


	23. Chapter 23

Both rinkaku kagune struck the kokaku quinque with such force that they threw Mado back some distance. But the shield held. Mado immediately started to break down the current tactical situation. He was tired and wounded and currently facing two high level, angry ghouls. He would have to rely on his mind for this fight if he was going to pull through. His first step was to change the battlefield. He retreated out of the tunnel realizing that it gave the two ghouls the advantage with their high maneuverability and his line of sight being broken by the pillars and the general darkness of the tunnel. The two monsters followed him; the female charging forward ahead of the older male.

Outside he immediately set about breaking up the two's teamwork. He would already have major problems facing them as it is so it would be suicide to let them add teamwork on top of that. He decided to use Kusanagi, with its superior range, to keep Eyepatch at bay. He would need to give that fiend his full attention later so for now he would just keep the ghoul out of attack range while he focused on the other. If Eyepatch did get through his guard then he would just force him back rather than trying to take him down.

As for Yin. He would let her get closer and finish her off first while her brother was unable to do anything. Mado turned to avoid another attack from the she-ghoul. She seemed to prefer using her fists and legs to attack with her kagune as a secondary weapon or in long range if she couldn't get close. Mado blocked her next barrage of attacks with the kokako before forcing it, with a bit of difficult, to close in on itself and form like a great sword. He then swung it at Yin, forcing her to duck and weave before leaping back after a powerful swing and unleashing her rinkaku. He was forced to reopen the weapon to block the attack while he also made his other quinque twist around to block Eyepatch from trying to move in again. The blood red tentacle chased the other ghoul as he jumped and dove around the outer embankment. It was a like some perverse model of a solar system with Mado the sun in the center while Yin and Eyepatch were forced to orbit around him trying to find some small opening in his guard they could use to their advantage. But they weren't the only fight happening at the moment.

Amon slowly trekked down the drainage tunnel ignoring the mild protest from his earlier wounds and just plain tiredness. He had to keep going forward. Had to help Mado. Amon wouldn't abandon him to be finished off by this vile pack of ghouls. So concentrated on his partner's safety was he, that he didn't even realize that without his quinque there was not much he could do. In fact there was more likely a chance that he would become nothing but a burden or liability. He just kept on moving forward.

After letting his ankle rest for a few minutes Amon was able to head to where they had set the trap. However, due to his ankle, he would not be able to climb down the steep sides of the embankment and the only walkway down to it was on the other side of the tunnel. Therefore he was forced to go around the battlefield rather than heading straight there. Thankfully he was now getting close to his goal. He could already hear the sounds of fighting ahead echoing in the dank space.

When he reached the area around the end of the tunnel, he saw three things. First, was the fight just outside the entrance. He couldn't see most of the fight due to distance, lighting and other such things, but he could make some things out. He could tell Mado trying his best to keep Yin and Eyepatch at bay as both of them spun around him like some insane dance or ballet while trying to strike at him with their kagunes. Mado was amazingly holding them off, but Amon could tell that this would not hold out for long. His partner was already wounded and tired. Several times Eyepatch was able to break through only to be pushed back by Mado's amazing control of Kusanagi. Meanwhile Yin, while being largely held off by the other quinque, was still nearing connecting with several strikes; including one that sliced into his mentor's cheek.

The second thing he saw was two figures hobbling away towards the exit. He could only see their backs, but he recognized them as Fueguchi and most likely the S-rate ghoul, Yang. It appeared that Yang was leaning on Fueguchi and Amon could also see the damage to her clothes and what was left of the wound in her abdomen. Why they were heading towards the battle despite their wounds left Amon dumbfounded but he didn't have time to think about. Not when the third item of interest stared right back at him.

It was rabbit. The ghoul that had killed one of his comrades just recently. She stood between him and the others like some sort of guardian. Refusing to let him go any farther. He could feel her steely gaze even behind her slightly askew mask. He also noticed that she too had some battle damage as well but didn't look like she would let that get in her way if it came to a fight.

Amon knew he had to do something though or he would lose another person to these ghouls. A reflection in the water allowed him to see the handle of one of Mado's quinques. Deciding to end this, Amon dove for the weapon's handle as Rabbit unleased her kagune and charged at him.

He was able to haphazardly throw a single attack but Rabbit was able to easily dodge it and with her superior strength, she grabbed him by the neck and threw him into one of the pillars. Amon hit his head hard and slid to the ground where Rabbit slammed a foot into his chest. Once again black started to drown out his vision as Rabbit screamed and swung her kagune down.

Ken was frustrated with this dove. He was a crafty one. Every time Ken got past his outer defenses, Smiley was able to cut him off once again. He also seemed to be playing his sister against him. He had figured out that if he kept himself between Ken and Kuro, it could distract him. With his line of sight to his sister partially obscure and the fact that he couldn't reach her if she got hit without getting past the dove first aggravated Ken and forced him to split his focus as he tried watch out for his sister.

The dove played on that. Once swiping at his sister to force him to jump forward in an attempt to draw the man's attention only to barely dodge the surprise attack that the dove pulled. The attack did clip him though; causing his leg to break. Ken quickly jumped up using his kagune and jumped back as the quinque tried to crush him. He then willed one of his rinkakus to twist around his leg and form into a makeshift splint during the half minute or so that it healed so that he could still effectively move to dodge and attack until his leg was healed. Still he was getting nowhere and only succeeded in feeding his growing irritation.

Kuro was in a similar predicament as her brother. No matter what she did, she couldn't cleanly hit this man. This monster that had tormented Hinami. That had hurt her sister. That had even chased them all those years ago, after their happy family was torn apart.

Kuro refused to let this man take anything else from them. She launched her kagune at him, only for each one to be effortlessly pushed back by the kokako shield he wielded. "Kuro!" she heard her brother shout at her. It turned out to be a warning as she turned around in time to see the large rinkaku quinque coming at her. She dodged it only for the tentacle to chase after as she jumped and weaved. "Ha ha. That's it. Dance. Dance more. You've clawed your way through so much to survive. From fighting investigators to eating your own father. Don't disappoint me now. Don't tell me that was it! Come on! Entertain me some more!" Amazingly her brother was also troubled by the same weapon as, despite the fact that it was currently chasing her, the dove had expertly positioned it to surround him so that it also acted like a barrier blocking off her brother. Ken was finally able to jump over it only for the dove to suddenly pull it back. The quinque spun around and Ken and Kuro were both forced to dodge as the spiked end swung around them all again and again. However Kuro was so caught up in dodging it that she didn't notice as the dove came at her again. She tried to escape only for the other quinque to grab her leg and at Mado's command crushed the limb. She screamed in pain as the dove just tossed her away and left her to Kusanagi to deal with.

The large weapon flew towards her on a direct course to crush the young ghoul. Ken was sadly unable to get to her due to the dove's earlier machinations. 'I can't reach her in time?!' Ken realized as the quinque slammed down; launching dirt, dust, and water into the air.

Touka had made a split second decision when she heard the footsteps. She first ordered Shiro and Hinami to head back towards the exit. Granted there was still a heated fight happening over there but she reasoned that they both could find a place to hide as Ken and Kuro held the dove's attention. Right now she was more focused on making sure that this new person didn't see their faces as well.

She then pulled out her mask from Kuro's backpack and put it on just before the new figure appeared. She immediately recognized it as the partner to that smiling freak just outside. The man starred at her for a few moments as she felt her raw emotions bubble up to the surface again. She then noticed him look down at something between them. It was the other quinque that the other had used during his fight with both her and Hinami.

The dove dived for it and tried to hit her but his attack was sloppy and she was able to avoid it and tossed him into one of the nearby pillars. As he fell to the ground, she jumped on top of him and was ready to strike the final blow. But something stopped her. She remembered what the others had said. Shiro's judgment, Ken's experiences, Hinami's realization. All of it came flowing back into her as she now had the chance to kill this murder with her own hands. But now she was hesitant to finish him. Touka gritted her teeth and screamed before she swung her kagune in frustration and anger into the pillar above the now unconscious dove. She removed her foot from the man and turned to leave as tears started to fill her eyes. "Damn it."

Mado waited ecstatically for the dust to clear. He badly wanted to hear Eyepatch's pained wails at what had become of his fellow spawn. He even ignored how Eyepatch, due to being so focused on his sister's plight, left himself wide open to another attack. Both men watched with baited breath as the dust started to settle.

However what he saw was not a dead but a living, if still badly injured, Kuro. Both He and Ken were stunned as they realized that the quinque had not only missed the girl but also curled around her. Kuro meanwhile couldn't tell whether she should be freaked out or relieved. But she did feel something that confused her. Safe. Somehow being surrounded by this rinkaku quinque made her feel a familiar feeling of comfort and security.

Ken was brought back from his stunned state by the irritated growls of Mado. Mado yanked at the quinque controls again and again. However it simply refused to respond. Only slightly twitching to his commands. "Move. Move. Move!" he ordered; now insanely frustrated. He was so close to finishing these fiends. But now they were slipping through his fingers once again.

He was so engrossed in this that he failed to notice the two rinkakus coming towards him from behind till both impaled the man through the torso. Mado coughed up blood and dropped his quinque. He slowly turned to see who had struck him.

However it was not Eyepatch, but the other sister that had reached him. The white haired girl was being held up by Hinami near the tunnel entrance. She stared back at Mado with determination now burning in her eyes. "Not again," she whispered before screaming, "I won't let you take my family away from me again?!" She yanked out her kagune with enough force to yank Mado towards her. He crashed once more into the canal. Shiro felt faint and dissipated her kagune. Touka appeared by her to help Hinami support the now lightheaded young ghoul.

Meanwhile Ken used this chance to grab Kuro and join the rest by the tunnel entrance. Everyone looked over each other and silently thanked the heavens that they had all survived this long night. But their attention was brought back to Mado when the man began to laugh. "Fuck… you ghoul bastards. You'll all die. Do you really have any meaning to living? The very idea that you have a meaningful existence makes me laugh. Kukuku… how dumb…. Ghouls… hahahahaha." His insane laughter caused him to painfully cough up more blood. He struggled to get back up while slowly crawling towards the ghouls watching him; declaring, "I'm not done yet. I have to… get my revenge… on that guy. One eye. Until I bury him with my own hands." Mado reached where Touka now stood before finally collapsing and dying.

For a moment everything froze. All five of them could only stand there and stare at the body of Mado. A few of them were even half afraid that he would suddenly jump back up like some Hollywood horror movie villain. He had left that much of an impression on their minds. The first to move was Touka who gritted her teeth and reached down at the man's gloved hand. "Wearing gloves like these. Do you really hate touching us that much?!" she screamed as she yanked the glove off while kicking his body away only to receive a shock at what the glove had hidden from view. For on that hand covered in scars from harsh training and battles, laid a wedding ring. In an instant the weight of the life that they had just taken weighed on her conscious and Touka began to have a panic attack till Ken came over and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Oi Touka. Calm down." Once he finally got her attention he stated, "I hate to sound callous here but we don't have the time for this. A big fight like that is sure to attract all kinds of attention and its best if we get out of her before more doves show up."

They all looked up when they heard the sounds of someone else arriving only to be relieved when it turned out to just be Yomo. He picked up Hinami before simply saying "Come," to the others. He turned to look at where Yoshimura was, watching over the scene; wondering what the old man was thinking fright now. None of the others notice though.

However before leaving Ken stopped to do one last thing. He walked over to where the quinque made from his father laid and affectionately put his hand on it. It somehow radiated a comforting warmth. "Thank you," he said with a sad smile before getting up and adding, "I promise I'll keep them safe." He heard Kuro call out for him to hurry up. So he ran over to help both her and Shiro walk as they all headed back to Anteiku.


	24. Chapter 24

It was another lazy afternoon when both Ken and Hide decided to go over to Hide's place and just hang out for the rest of the day. They had both just recently finished their last classes of the day and Ken didn't have a shift at Anteiku today. The apartment wasn't very far from the campus grounds. In fact it lay in the same direction as the Kanekis' abode did. Stepping into the place, Ken could only describe it as a bachelor pad. Clothes, both dirty and clean, lay in piles throughout the place and half eaten plates of food lay next to day old, unfinished cups of coffee. The furniture looked well used and more than one stain did adorn them. He did not expect Hide to be this messy.

Ken sat down on the sofa as Hide went into the kitchen. Thankfully Ken was able to convince the other that he wasn't hungry and just needed a nice cup of coffee. Though Hide did make a cup of instant ramen for himself; making the entire apartment smell like a wet dog to his half-ghoul friend. But Ken could soldier through it.

For the next couple of hours both of them simple soaked in each other's presence. Ken was reading a really good novel following a man falling victim to a yandere Youkai girl who had taken a shine to him while Hide watched some midevening television while occasionally getting Ken's views on what just happened in the program.

It was after a special on massages and traditional medicine that Hide got Ken's attention with, "You want to try?" Ken lowered his book and eyed the blonde haired boy suspiciously. "Try what?" Hide grinned radiantly. "That." He pointed at the tv. "I don't want to brag but I actually learned a little about it high school." "You did not." Now Hide's face became smug. "Yes I did. And I can prove it."

He grabbed Ken's hand before the other could do anything and pinched a section of his hand between the index finger and thumb. Ken held grimaced in pain as it all of the sudden felt like someone had jabbed a quinque knife into his hand. A feeling that he was sadly way too familiar with then he should be. Hide just grinned at him. "Hurts doesn't it? You see, there's a major nerve right there. Some historians actually think the Romans used to hammer nails in right there during crucifixions since the pain is like getting struck by a lightning bolt when the nerves are pierced. But pinching still hurts too. Just not as much." Ken tapped out then. "Okay. Okay Hide. You made your point Hide. Let go of my hand already." Thankfully he did just that.

As Ken shook his hand to get rid of what was left of the painful feelings, his friend got up and went behind where he sat. "But pressure points don't have to just be used to cause pain. They can also be used in things like massages." He grabbed around Kens neck and while massaging it, pressed on several points; making Ken feel suddenly really good. In fact too good. He felt zoned out almost blissful. He started to let out strange squeaks and moans as he shivered and twitched a little.

His friend started to go down his back as even more of Ken's body started to go slack. He couldn't even wipe away the drool. "Yaan," he suddenly yelped as Hide reached where his kakahou was. To Ken it felt really weird for someone to be touching where his Kagune rests. For his part Hide seemed to think this was just some really thick knot in his friend's back. "Wait… Hide. Ple….Pleas….Please. Stop touching me…there," he tried but his friend was so focused on his massage. "Don't worry Ken. I got this." Ken then felt his Kagune start to move. He tried his best to stop it but he couldn't and all six rinkaku slithered out.

However they did so lazily, almost as if drunk and drooped onto the back of the chair and floor. It seems that Hide's magically fingers had gotten to them too. Ken was horrified. All he could do was lay there and pant after just outing himself as a ghoul. Well, half ghoul but he doubted that such a difference would matter to an ordinary human. He tried to move; begging his arms and legs to do something. But they only feebly wiggled as Hide continued to stare at his friend in a new light. Ken couldn't help but tear up as he waited for his friend to scream and run away or call him in. Instead what he got was a, "WOW! You really are a ghoul. I mean I already figured it out a while ago but still, seeing it in real life is amazing in its own way. Can I touch it?" Ken was confused. He could only go, "Eh?" before Hide reached out and slide a finger across the edge of one of the scale-like outer sections of his Kagune. The sharpened edge cut through his skin causing a bit of blood to leak out. "Ow! It's sharp. But what if I do this."

He then petted the predatory organ like one would a cat; from the base to the tip. Somehow this didn't get him cut by the rasp like tentacles. Meanwhile Ken could barely process the feeling. It basically paralyzed the young half-ghoul. He couldn't even get up the strength to ask his friend to stop. Not even when his friend started to push down on his kagune as well. "Hahaha. It's springy too." For some reason though, it felt to ken like the number of hands on his rinkaku had multiplied. Confused, he finally got the energy to look back and saw a bunch chibi Hides now playing with his Kagune. His mind went blank.

* * *

Ken jumped up in shock; knocking away the book which had been sitting on his top of his face. Slowly the shock and fog covering his mind began to clear. Slowly, he realized where he was. In his home, on the living room sofa. Slightly alarmed, Shiro came over and asked, "What's wrong?" Ken could only hide his face in embarrassment. "It's nothing!" he said and didn't answer any more. Eventually Shiro gave up and left to make them both some coffee and maybe get some meat to share. Meanwhile Ken swore that he would never let anyone know about this dream. Ever!


	25. Chapter 25

In the first ward, a funeral was being held for one Kureo Mado. A number of high profile CCG members were in attendance including the reaper himself, Kishou Arima. The ceremonies eventually ended and those in attendance began to disperse. Immediately afterwards, many of them went back to work tracking down the ghouls that plague the city Tokyo and Japan at large. Amon, though, simply sat down outside the entrance to the hall. He idly watched as many of the CCG finest headed out on missions. It appeared there would be no rest for the just. Listening in on them, made him remember his first meeting with Mado and their first investigation as a team. It had been that mission that had taught him to be suspicious of everything and trust your gut for ghouls were crafty beasts that would use any opportunity you give them to finish you off. It was also when he gained the utmost respect for his partner and learned that this man was way more capable then many of his coworkers gave him credit for.

"Oi, crybaby Amon!" He was knocked out of his thoughts by the voice of Shinohara. "About to burst into tears again?" he teasingly asked. "Shinohara-san." The special class investigator sat down across from his depressed kohai. "It's unfortunate what happened to Mado. Losing a partner must be hard on you." He lowered his head with a melancholic expression. "I lost an old friend as well. So I can understand what you must be feeling."

"Shinohara," Amon said to get his attention. "Why?" he simply asked. "Why what?" "Why am I still alive?" he finally asked. He looked into the surprised eyes of the other investigator and continued. "Eyepatch, Yin, and Rabbit. All three of them had chances to. And yet not one of them took it. Hell Eyepatch actively seemed to be avoiding finishing me off during my fight with him. What reason was I spared but Mado was…Mado was…Mado was…" However the one who answered him was not Shinohara.

"Perhaps he just let you live out of some perverted form of amusement. Or maybe he feels that you'd be of use somehow in the future," a female voice entered the conversation. Amon and Shinohara turned to see the owner of the new voice leaning on the wall a bit aways. She was an older woman probably in her later years but still appeared to be fit. Though she still looked her age, she was not unattractive with more of a milf look to her. She also radiated an aura of strength that one should expect from a seasoned investigator. But her most striking feature was actually her arm or lack of one. Instead her left arm a little below the shoulder blade had been replaced with a prosthetic that Amon could also see some quinque material in it. Perhaps she had equipped a quinque blade to it in case of emergencies.

The woman came over to the table and shook hands with Amon. "Associate Special Class Setsuko Takahashi," She introduced herself. "Rank one, Amon Koutarou," Amon reciprocated. She sat down as well and the discussion continued. "It's a real damn shame what happened to Kureo," Setsuko said. "To be honest, I kinda feel like it's my fault. If I hadn't failed that mission all those years ago, then Eyepatch and the sisters would have been eliminated right then and there before they could become such a blight on Tokyo." Shinohara laughed and replied, "Don't be too hard on yourself sets-chan. Your plan wasn't bad. And it did eventually get Orochi in the end didn't it? You should stop berating yourself over that already." Peeved by the nickname the woman ignored her friend and instead continued to talk to Amon. "Anyways as for why they let you live, most likely because he had no reason to kill you. Eyepatch, like his father, is a smart one and seems avoid pointless fighting. He only moves when he has a purpose. Or at least from what I've studied about him. You shouldn't really think too hard about it really. You'll just run yourself ragged trying to understand these how these fiends actually think. Just use this second chance to track down and slay the beast."

Amon nodded at what the other said but he couldn't stop thinking about it. It didn't answer why Rabbit let him live. And what about what Eyepatch or Yin had said. Somehow, this encounter had shaken his convictions but he wouldn't tell anyone that. At least for now.

He was broken out of his thoughts when a man ran to the table to inform Shinohara about someone named Juuzo. The special class investigator sighed before getting up. "You have a case to return to as well?" Mado asked only for Shinohara to shake his head. "No. I recently got a new partner and well, he's a handful. So I better get going. See you later you two."

Now left with Setsuko, Amon decided that now would be a good time to return it. He placed a quinque case on the table. "Here I'm returning Kusanagi to you. Forgive me for giving it back to you in failure." But the older woman simply shook her head and pushed it back to him. "Why don't you keep it for now? I have a feeling that it could still be of use in taking down Eyepatch when the time comes. Besides," she gave a disarming smile. "I don't really like rinkaku quinques so it's not like it would really do anything with me other than collect dust." Amon thanked her and put the case back next to his chair; though unsure about what he'd do with it. After a bit of small talk, Setsuko got up and left. Leaving Amon once again alone with his thoughts.

* * *

Ken really didn't like being stared at. Even if it was only from a couple young ghoul children, looking at him like he was some kind of superhero. Thankfully the mother ghoul soon arrived and after apologizing, pulled the two children back into the café proper; letting Ken finish making the two cups of coffee he was working on. Once finished, he carried the both of them to a table near the tv set up for the guests; passing Hide at the counter. It was currently set on the news. In particular, the news was currently going over the latest issues of ghouls.

"… Therefore the CCG believes the worsening situations in both the eleventh and thirteenth wards may be linked. Some observers have begun to believe that a single ghoul organization, of a size never before seen, is taking charge of the local ghoul populations of these two wards. Currently the CCG warns the locals to continue being careful and not venture alone at night. However the request by the CCG to enforce a mandatory curfew on these two wards was rejected by parliament earlier today," the news caster finished her last report before moving to the next one which grabbed the interest of all in Anteiku. "In other news, a senior investigator of the CCG was recently killed by a notorious pack of ghouls within the twentieth ward. This is the first death of an investigator from the CCG headquarters in this ward in over ten years. The pack of ghouls included a relatively unknown ghoul now identified by the CCG as rabbit, and the extremely dangerous S class Ying-Yang sisters and SS class Eyepatch. The CCG is worried about this recent unwarranted and threatening aggression from Eyepatch and believes that it could be a precedent for increased activity of this particular ghoul." Pictures and/or sketches of them all were shown at this point along with some information.

"A high level meeting among the top officials at the CCG has decided that, by a narrow vote, to increase the rankings of all the ghouls involved. Rabbit will now be labeled S class. The Ying-Yang sisters will both now be labeled SS and the infamous Eyepatch will now be recognized as a SSS ghoul; the highest ranking a ghoul can have and before now, only belong to the one eyed Owl. Due to this threat the CCG in the twentieth ward is attempting to reorganize its forces in preparation against any movement from Eyepatch and his pack. What this new threat means for the twentieth ward remains unknown but officials urge caution and for any citizens who encounters this ghoul to immediately flee; regardless of the situation."

Soon the newscaster went to other news but Ken was no longer listening. They had been repeating this story all over the news since their last fight. He didn't know what it would mean for him that he had now broken the SS class glass ceiling but he didn't expect it to really be all that good.

So far he had only had to deal with even more admirers and notoriety now. Where before he was just another strong member of Anteiku. Now he was the SSS class ghoul Eyepatch that had driven away the doves from the ward; even if they would eventually return. Now whenever he met other ghouls around the ward in or the shop, he was met with a new kind of respect or in some cases fear. Some ghouls had even tried to get into his good graces or push him to try and hurt the CCG more. And of course, his popularity among the female ghoul population had increased as well; forcing him to deal with flirting aspiring young mates almost daily now. Thankfully he had been able to push most of the attention away by explaining that he didn't want to start anything and right now only wanted to be able to live in peace with his sisters.

"How dreadful. To think such a monster is in our ward," Ken heard one of the woman at the table he was serving say. "The work of a demon. That's what this is," the older one added; both obviously frightened. The younger one turned to Ken and told him, "You best be careful too Ken. You should talk to the manager about not keeping you here after it gets dark." Ken did his best innocent act as he replied while scratching his chin, "You're overreacting miss. There's no way some little old nobody like me will ever garner the attention of the great Eyepatch, but I appreciate the concern."

Ken now headed back to attend the counter where Hide now sat. Once again his friend seemed to have ghouls on the mind. "What do you think about all of this Ken? About what they said about Eyepatch?" Ken took a minute to formulate his answer. "It's frightening right? That such a dangerous ghoul would just go berserk like that. Not to mention in our ward."

Ken couldn't really place the look that his friend gave him. Like he was stupid or something. "I don't think that's really it. I think that all of this was vengeance motivated." Impressed, Ken continued to listen to his friend explain his theory. "I took a theorized about the criminal in my own way. First off, there was another ghoul investigator killed a few days earlier correct? Would a ghoul, especially one as passive as Eyepatch normally is, face so much danger and specifically go after investigators? Eating him didn't seem to be the objective so the meaning had to be for revenge or something similar. The key here is the senior investigator. Mado, I think."

"Hmmm," Ken egged him on. Hide pulled out a poster and placed it in front of Ken. "It's a wanted poster from the CCG information board. Look." Ken noticed that it was the posted for Hinami. "So you think that Rabbit is the daughter ghoul who killed the investigator in revenge for her mother's death?" he asked but Hide just smiled at him and shook his head. "No. I think that they are two different ghouls. Granted the CCG seems to be pursuing the idea they are the same. But if they aren't then what is their relationship and how are Eyepatch and his sisters connected to them as well. Information is scattered in bits and pieces. They don't even have a portrait of the daughter; just a vague description. I bet she was able to immediately get away from the scene. Like if the mother sacrificed herself to save her child. But if the daughter ghoul really is Rabbit, then why didn't she fight to save her mother. Even if her mother didn't fight she should still have been able to fend them off for both of them to escape. Perhaps Rabbit is acting as an agent of vengeance for the daughter ghoul. As for why Eyepatch also got involved. Perhaps for revenge as well or maybe more likely to protect the daughter and Rabbit. At least from what I read about him and his past."

Ken was actually quite amazed at how much his friend had inferred correctly. It honestly frightened him. Hide grinned at him again. "I'm thinking of investigating the daughter myself. Hell, I could probably get a reward." On the inside Ken freaked about what his friend just said but on the outside he gave him an semi-serious smile and flicked his forehead. "Don't even think about it. This isn't some game or a mystery novel. One wrong step and you could end up dead and most likely as someone's dinner. And I can't always watch out for you." "Who said I need you to watch over me," Hide shot back; sticking out his tongue.

Of course Hide didn't know that Ken really was watching over him. Being a SSS class now gave him the power and authority in the ghoul world to blacklist some humans from the menu such as Hide and Yoriko. But still this only went as far as protecting them from being hunted. If they were to discover a ghoul or stumble upon a kill, then they would suffer the same fate as any old human. Ken started to make more coffee as he continued to push Hide to stop thinking about these things.

* * *

As Ken and Hide were at Anteiku, Touka was with Shiro, Kuro, and Yoriko in the middle of class. As should be expected of a high school classroom, many were not paying attention to the teacher. In particular, a large portion of these students were discussing the death of Mado and the ghouls responsible.

"I can't believe that this is happening here,"

"My parents are seriously talking about moving away now. All because some damn ghouls."

"I wish the CCG would hurry up and exterminate them. They should hurry up and do their job."

"Monsters."

Touka only half heard these, as she was still preoccupied with what the dove had said before he died. Much like Amon, this battle had shaken the core convictions of the young she-ghoul and once again faced her with the disgusting truth that there was more to humans then just meat and hatred. She was only knocked out of her thoughts by Yoriko getting her attention. Apparently she had not noticed the teacher calling her. She ignored it when everyone laughed at her. Except Kuro. She was going to make certain to get payback on the black haired twin by the end of the week.

Soon the lunch bell sounded and she and Yoriko sat together. Touka saw Ken's sisters leave the room. Apparently over the last couple of days they had been using this time as a chance to catch some sleep on the roof of the school. None of them were getting much sleep lately but the twins in particular had been tiring themselves out as they trained and trained. Neither of them was happy with how they had performed in the fight; feeling like both of them had ended up more as burdens than anything else to the others. So they exercised and spared with each other and Ken and Touka and finally with Yomo who didn't pull his punches when he taught. Touka silently wished them luck in their endeavor as she pulled out a jam sandwich. "Touka-chan, you're having a jam sandwich again?" Touka sighed. "Its fine isn't. I like it and it's easy to eat," she said as she bit into the slime filled piece of soggy cardboard. However Yoriko was not having this. "You're a growing girl Touka. You need to eat notorious things as well. Here." She held out a piece karage that would have been delectable to anyone else in the room but Touka. But to her this was as if being asked to eat cyanide. Still, with a bit of hesitation, she jumped up and ate it. As she choked it down, Yoriko added, "I tried changing the seasoning a little what do you think?" She watched Touka finish. Touka gave forlorn smile before flicking Yoriko on the forehead; just like Ken did with Hide. "It's delicious," Touka told her. Later Touka hid in the bathroom. The karage was not sitting well for obvious reasons. Touka suffered as she tried to hold it down. But she succeed. Complementing the chef.

* * *

Later that evening, she arrived home. However she was not alone as both Kuro and Shiro had come with her and Ken met them all at the front door. The Kaneki family had agreed to come over today to help put the finishing touches on Hinami's room. "Hinami, I'm home," she called as she opened the door. "Welcome back, big sister," Hinami called back. However, she ran excitedly to the door when she saw the others. "Hey Hinami," Ken said while he rubbed her head fondly. Smirking, Touka decided to play a trick on the boy. "He was waiting in front of the house for over half an hour. Isn't that creepy?" Hinami happily agreed while Ken defended himself with, "Well what was I supposed to do. You never gave me a key." Kuro then asked, "Did you get a haircut Hinami?" Excitedly the young girl showed it off. "Yeah, big sis Touka cut it for me." "It's really good. Like you had it done in a salon," Shiro chimed in. But Ken critiqued, "I could have done better."

After a swift kick to the male half ghouls head, they all set about fixing the room up. Moving furniture and discussing possible paint colors. But soon after the doorbell rang. Touka ran to the front door to see who it was only to discover Yoriko. "Yoriko?!" she exclaimed. She turned to tell the others to hide only to find out that they had already done so; alerted by her surprised exclamation from earlier. After hiding the extra shoes, Touka let her best friend in.

"Yoriko, why are you here? Is something wrong?" she hurriedly asked. Flustered a bit, Yoriko answered with, "Sorry. I know it's a bit sudden but you were acting strange at school so I was worried." Touka gave her a calming smile and replied, "What are you talking about? I wasn't any different today. You're just overreacting." But Yoriko would have none of it. "You're wrong. You were acting really lonely. You had the same face that you had when your dad transferred overseas." She continued but Touka barely heard her as the mentioning of her father brought back many memories. Some good. Some bad.

Her attention was brought back when the young girl brought out a pot of freshly made nikujaga. "So to cheer you up, I made this. Let's eat it together. Touka tried her best to sound enthusiastic as she led the other girl into the house. When they passed the coat closet though, a sound of something falling was heard. Touka, before she realized it, had yanked the door open to where Ken had hid. When he saw the other two looking at him he joked, "Hey it was either here or in your underwear drawer." Once again Touka struck Ken today; only holding back to keep up appearances for Yoriko. The human girl of course freaked out, thinking that she had interrupted some heated elopement between the two but thankfully the twins came out and laid the misunderstanding to rest. But unfortunately, they were all treated to a hearty meal of hardened chalk, bug wings, pencil leads, and dirty water. Needless to say, all four of them called in sick the next day after poor Hinami did her best tending to them over that horrible night.

* * *

While the Anteiku pack was being treated to Yoriko's cooking, things were a foot in the thirteenth ward. From an out of the way alley way a scream shot into the air before its owner was quickly dealt with. The victim was a local and known playboy. Above him stood the murderer. Four blood red rinkaku at the ready behind them. A single red and black eye peered down from their face at the man. The rest of their face was covered with an eyepatch mask. Its only difference from Ken's being that the eyepatch part had a golden cross on it and it was unmistakably made for a female face.

"O Holy hosts above, I call upon thee as a servant of Jesus Christ, to sanctify our actions this day in preparation for the fulfillment of the will of God," she started. "I call upon the great Archangel Raphael, master of air, to open the way for this to be done. Let the fire of the Holy Spirit now descend that this being might be awakened to the world beyond and the life of earth, and infused with the power of the Holy Spirit." She pulled back in her kagune.

"O Lord Jesus Christ, most merciful, Lord of Earth we ask that you receive this child into your arms, that he might pass in safety from this crisis. As thou hast told us with infinite compassion, Let not your heart be troubled: Ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my father's house are many mansions: If it were not so, I would have told you. I go prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself: That where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know." She leaned down towards the body.

"So let it be done. By this sign thou art anointed with the grace of the atonement of Jesus Christ and thou art absolved of all past error and freed to take your place in the world he has prepared for us." She made a cross on the man's head with his own blood as she continued the prayer. "I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever: With my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations. For I have said, mercy shall be built up forever: Thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens. I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant. They seed will I establish forever, and build up they throne to all generations. Selah. And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, o Lord: Thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints. For who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord? Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord? God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him." She unzipped the mask.

"And thus do I commend thee into the arms of our Lord of earth, our lord Jesus Christ,Preserver of all mercy and reality, and the father creator. We give him glory as we give you into his arms in everlasting peace, to be prepared to return into the denser reality of God the father, Creator of all. AMEN, AMEN, AMEN." And now she began to feed.

* * *

Omake:

Takeshi sighed tiredly as he continued on his way home. His son following close behind. Both of them were carrying nondescript bags of fresh meat, courtesy of Rize. The older male had long ago given up on forcing the impish female ghoul to stop hunting in his territory. Not desiring a fight he had instead persuaded her to at least inform him of when she had fed and where. He would then clean up after her; feeling that having a missing person case was preferable to a body being discovered for the CCG to trace and investigate. Since there was no reason to waste perfectly good food, Takeshi would first collect anything usable from the corpse to provide for his family first before discretely disposing of what was left.  
Usually he went about this by himself but Rize had apparently gotten lucky and bagged two instead of one this time. Deciding he could use the help and his son the experience, Takeshi had brought little Ken along with him on this excursion. It was pretty routine in the end. Though he was grateful that Rize had already disappeared before they got there. He didn't feel that Rize would be the best influence on his kids so he tried to keep them both apart to the best of his abilities.

They passed some movie theatre when he noticed that Ken had stopped following him. Turning back he saw that the boy was looking at some poster on the wall with a contemplative look. Curious, Takeshi came over to look too. It was poster advertisement for the new ghoul horror movie. These things were made almost yearly now with many receiving funding from the CCG. The cliché plot mixed horror and mystery as the humans in the film were chased and killed one by one by, at least to Takeshi, the most over the top and ridiculous stereotype of a ghoul till the human hero saved the day, killed the monster, and bedded the heroine. He had in fact seen this movie due to badgering by his human acquaintances last week. He had to hold back his laughter at the stupid thing as everyone else screamed and cheered on the main character who Takeshi only thought looked pretty tasty.

But the true message of the movie was not lost on him either. Once again, society was hammering in the idea that being a ghoul in itself was a sin and that there was no such thing as a good ghoul; only man eating beasts. There were already video games, toys, and specials around in many of the major stores and businesses as people celebrated their vilification and children played ghoul instead of tag.

He looked back at Ken, realizing what his son was thinking. Was he truly a monster? Did he really deserve to live or, like the crowds would say, he should die for being even half a monster. Smiling sadly, Takeshi placed a hand on Ken's head. Breaking his attention from the poster. "Come on Ken. Why don't I buy you a nice cup of coffee," he offered. Ken graciously accepted and forgot about that poster for now.


End file.
